- Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographer
Traffic pile-up in Old Harbour, St. Catherine last Thursday afternoon.
Rasbert Turner and Gareth Manning, Gleaner Reporters
Despite what appears to be a decline in the number of motorists utilising the Old Harbour bypass and Spanish Town toll leg of Highway 2000, the National Road Operating and Constructing Company (NROCC) says revenue projection is on target for all legs of the highway.
Since tolls at the Vineyard plaza in Bushy Park, St. Catherine increased in May, some motorists have opted to use the alternate route through the town of Old Harbour causing a bottleneck of traffic in that area. Tolls at the Vineyard plaza currently stand at $180 for motor cars, $230 for sports utility vehicles and mini vans and $450 for buses and trucks.
On Thursday, The Sunday Gleaner took to the streets to observe the traffic situation in the small town. Traffic was heavy there, caused mostly by trucks and buses which opted to use the Old Harbour route, complaining that the toll at the Vineyard plaza was too high.
"Boss, mi a save more than $4,000 a week since mi stop use the toll, cause everytime mi go through, it cost me four bills," reported Devon Davis a truck driver.
Traffic below par
Later on a trip to the Vineyard toll plaza The Sunday Gleaner team observed low usage by motorists of the booth. Attendants there confirmed that although the traffic estimate of 11,000 vehicles a day was below par, the traffic count was not entirely bad.
The Sunday Gleaner observed a similar situation at the Spanish Town toll booth. In fact, further investigation by the team showed that more motorists from Spanish Town and environs were opting to use the Portmore toll road to get to Kingston instead of the Spanish town booth. Motorists were entering Portmore from the Lakes Pen entrance which leads on to Dyke Road, then to the Portmore toll road.
At the Portmore toll plaza The Sunday Gleaner team observed robust usage by motorists, despite the call by Portmore community leaders for a boycott of the facility. The leaders argue that vehicles from the Spanish Town area were avoiding that toll plaza and, instead, were plying the Portmore toll road into Kingston.
And despite what appears to be a fall in usage at both the Vineyard and Spanish Town toll booths, in an emailed response to TheSunday Gleaner queries, NROCC chief executive officer, Ivan Anderson, said "all traffic projections were on target."
Revenue from these collection points was only a mere two per cent below target, TransJamaican Highway Limited, managing director, Trevor Jackson told this newspaper in July, and it seems targets have remained relatively the same.
Not only have all projections been on target NROCC explains, but interest due to bond holders are being paid out on time, intimating that developers are raking in a robust revenue.
NROCC raised US$ 130 million through a 30-year bond issue which it lent to TransJamaican Highway. That money was disbursed to the company on a monthly basis. No payments on those loans are due yet.
