Montego Bay’s Elegant Corridor ‘Lights Up’
By: , August 3, 2015The Key Point:
Photo: Sharon Earle
Tourism and Entertainment, Hon Dr. Wykeham McNeill (centre), basks in the glow of newly installed lights along Montego Bay’s Elegant Corridor with, from left: Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Lloyd B. Smith; Montego Bay Mayor, Councillor Glendon Harris; State Minister for Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon Sharon Ffolkes-Abrahams; and Local Government and Community Development Minister, Hon Noel Arscott, following the official commissioning ceremony, on July 30. A total of 797 state-of-the-art L.E.D. lights were installed along the 27-kilometre corridor, stretching from the Sangster International Airport round-a-bout to Iberostar Hotel, in Lilliput, St. James, at a cost of $272.1 million, with funding from the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF).The Facts
- The formalities were carried out by Tourism and Entertainment Minister, Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill, and Local Government and Community Development Minister, Hon. Noel Arscott.
- Installation of the 797 state-of-the-art L.E.D. lights, which span the corridor between the Sangster International Airport round-a-bout and Iberostar Hotel, in Lilliput, St. James, was funded by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), at a cost of $272.1 million.
The Full Story
The new lights, which have been installed along Montego Bay’s 27-kilometre Elegant Corridor, were officially switched on, during a ceremony on Thursday, July 30.
The formalities were carried out by Tourism and Entertainment Minister, Hon. Dr. Wykeham McNeill, and Local Government and Community Development Minister, Hon. Noel Arscott.
Installation of the 797 state-of-the-art L.E.D. lights, which span the corridor between the Sangster International Airport round-a-bout and Iberostar Hotel, in Lilliput, St. James, was funded by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), at a cost of $272.1 million.
The engagement was a collaboration involving the Ministries of Tourism and Entertainment; Local Government and Community Development; and Transport, Works and Housing.
Speaking at the ceremony, Dr. McNeill commended the TEF on the transformational impact it is having on the lives of citizens and their communities island-wide, through its funding of engagements such as the Elegant Corridor project.
“The projects that are being done by the Tourism Enhancement Fund are not being done (solely) for visitors, but (are also being) done to fix Jamaica, to make (it) a better place,” he said.
In this regard, the Minister contended that the Elegant Corridor project represents the TEF’s achievement of its mandate to enhance Montego Bay’s tourism product.
This, he added, will contribute to significantly transforming the lives of residents in communities adjacent to the corridor, as well as persons who traverse that section of the North Coast Highway.
Dr. McNeill also commended the National Works Agency (NWA) for its procurement and timely installation of the lights, which enabled the project to be completed on time and within budget.
For his part, Mr. Arscott said the Government is exploring the possibility of using L.E.D. bulbs for all street lights islandwide.
“We know that if we are able to change the existing (high-pressure sodium) lights in Jamaica to L.E.D. lights, we will be able to save (expenditure on) 50,000 barrels of oil per year. Therefore, this demonstration of the use of modern technology is an example which we really want to (replicate island-wide),” he said.
Other officials attending the ceremony included: Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Lloyd B. Smith; State Minister for Industry, Investment, and Commerce, Hon. Sharon Ffolkes-Abrahams; Montego Bay Mayor, Councillor Glendon Harris, as well as Directors and other representatives of Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), TEF, and NWA.