Transportation Centre for Savanna-La-Mar

The Westmoreland Parish Council, as part of efforts to better manage the flow of traffic into the town of Savanna-La-Mar, will be constructing a transportation centre, in addition to repaving Great George Street and installing parking meters along the thoroughfare.
The transport centre, estimated to cost $15 million, is being constructed on one hectare of land. The facility should be completed by the first week of June, at which time it will be officially commissioned into service.
Meanwhile, another $5 million is being spent on the repaving of Great George Street, including the construction of drains and sidewalk. Work spanning a six-week period should get underway before the end of May and upon completion, the no-parking designations will be put in place, as well as some 173 parking meters.
Mayor of Savanna-La-Mar and Chairman of the Westmoreland Parish Council, Delford Morgan, told JIS News, that once the work is completed, traffic changes would be implemented. All taxis into Savanna-La-Mar will end in the transportation centre, with the exception of the Llandilo and Smithfield routes, which start in the town.
“We recognize the likely impact it will have on the travelling public, but we are constrained to adopt these measures primarily because we feel that having regards to studies that have been done, that this is the best way to solve the growing problem of congestion along Great George Street and other streets in the town”, he said.
He informed that similar measures were being undertaken in other areas of the parish, to further facilitate the proper management of traffic.
“Similar initiatives are in place for Grange Hill and Darliston. Transport centres in those two towns are expected to come on stream at the same time the Savanna-La-Mar transport centre becomes operational.
In Negril, the transport centre already in place, is to be improved, with the addition of some parking meters in the town of Negril itself,” he informed.
The Mayor said that the measures were to better allow for the free flow of traffic and the safety of motorists and pedestrians. “We are confident that we are on the right track and we are confident that overtime, those with misgivings will come to participate in the effort to ensure a better quality of life on the roads in the parish”, he stated. He is asking the residents’ indulgence during the construction process, noting that there will be inconveniences.