Major Traffic Corridors to Be Upgraded
By: , February 15, 2018The Key Point:
Photo: Donald De La Haye
Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, delivers the Throne Speech at the Ceremonial Opening of Parliament at Gordon House, on February 15. It was done under the theme ‘Continuing on the Path to Prosperity’.The Facts
- He pointed out that the Ferris Cross to Macfield road in Westmoreland will be completed, while civil works on the Constant Spring and Hagley Park Road projects should commence.
- “The number of registered motor vehicles in Jamaica stands at 650,000, almost doubling in the last decade and growing presently at a rate of almost four per cent annually. Our current roadways and intersections were not designed to carry these volumes of vehicular traffic,” he pointed out.
The Full Story
Through the Major Infrastructure Development Programme (MIDP), the Government will improve the carrying capacity of several major traffic corridors in the upcoming fiscal year.
Delivering the 2018/19 Throne Speech in Parliament on February 15, Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, informed that the Barbican Road and Mandela Highway Improvement Projects will be completed.
He pointed out that the Ferris Cross to Macfield road in Westmoreland will be completed, while civil works on the Constant Spring and Hagley Park Road projects should commence.
The Governor-General said the Administration is paying keen attention to the growing problem of vehicular traffic congestion in town centres and urban areas.
“The number of registered motor vehicles in Jamaica stands at 650,000, almost doubling in the last decade and growing presently at a rate of almost four per cent annually. Our current roadways and intersections were not designed to carry these volumes of vehicular traffic,” he pointed out.
He said congestion is not only a function of carrying capacity of the roadways, it is a function of the discipline and consideration of road users as well.
In the meantime, he said the National Works Agency (NWA) will continue the buildout of its broadband fibre-optic infrastructure, on which several smart technological applications will be installed to improve traffic management, enforcement and road safety and security.
“This fiscal year will see the installation of more cameras, licence plate recognition and other technologies to improve traffic regulation and enforcement,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Governor-General said under the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR) Phase II – Improving Climate Data and Information Management, the Government continues to work towards the improvement of Jamaica’s climate change resilience.
He said this is being undertaken through: the procurement of hydro- and agro-meteorological equipment and spare parts for the Meteorological Services of Jamaica (MSJ), Water Resources Authority (WRA), and Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA); a new Doppler Weather Radar System; a sea-level monitoring station; an improved climate data and information platform; and further implementation of climate change education and awareness, and behaviour change campaigns.
The Throne Speech was delivered under the theme ‘Continuing on the Path to Prosperity’.