No danger of Isolation

Therefore, we can say, with some confidence, that the access road to the Norman Manley airport, as well as the airport itself, will not be in any danger of permanent isolation provided the necessary mitigation steps are taken. However, there is always the possibility of severe hurricanes temporarily flooding the highway due to storm surge. While storm waves and storm surge may cut the access road to the airport, they create only a temporary situation, and the remedial measures of clearance and road repair will be a whole lot cheaper than building a bridge across the harbour. A backup airport however is important if Norman Manley becomes isolated. It may also be crucial, if for example, there were to be severe, islandwide damage, and emergency medical supplies are needed urgently by air-lift.

Turning back to the future development of Palisadoes, if supplies are maintained, sand and gravel will continue to migrate westwards (P7). Eventually there may be enough continuous supply that the end of the spit at Port Royal will become extended beyond the town to the point where sand supplies will encroach on Gun Cay, perhaps joining it to the Palisadoes. However, this will almost certainly not happen in our lifetimes. Westward extension across the mouth of the harbour to Fort Augusta and Portmore is unlikely to happen because of the strong outward flow of water from the Rio Cobre.