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TRUCKERS and business operators along Marcus Garvey Drive in Kingston are threatening protest if a barrier, recently erected to prevent a right turn, is not removed.
The barrier was erected Monday as part of traffic changes to facilitate a US$9-million road rehabilitation work by French construction company, Bouygues.
Yesterday, Donovan Wignal, president of the Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association of Jamaica, said their businesses were being affected by these changes because of the considerable traffic congestion in the area.
Businesses, he said, were unable to keep appointments at the APM terminal to collect containers because of the congestion.
“One hour waiting in traffic can result in thousands of dollars in penal charges and this will cost us the consumer because all the additional cost will be passed on,” said Wignal.
“Today I got no less than 15 calls from the members and truckers, saying it is total madness and that if it is not removed ...we might just have a situation where people go out there and protest and you might have a few trucks breaking down there,” he said.
Jean-Noel Foulard, project director of Bouygues, told the Observer that the barrier cannot be removed before the next two months, which is the time it will take to complete the median path.
“We cannot build a big six-lane road like that without disturbing something and we have no choice but to build the median path first,” he said.
He said they have been able to have two lanes of traffic going on either side while construction is going on, which is the best that they can do for now.
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