The National Works Agency has commenced a major project aimed at reducing the level of congestion in the central Montego Bay business district. This project is valued at forty million dollars ($40 million) and is being funded by the Tourism Enhancement Fund.
The project involves a system of coordinated traffic signals, Closed Circuit Cameras, a Traffic Management Centre, an Incident Management System and a one way alternate road system. The Traffic Management Centre will be the site at which all communication between the eighteen traffic signals and cameras will take place. Additionally, the Incident Management System will allow for quick identification of the causes of bottle necks and the formulation of the appropriate responses. The alternate one - way road system is designed to maximize the efficiency with which the available road infrastructure is used.
To date, conduits have been laid at fifteen intersections, and work continues on equipping three others in order to facilitate the installation of the traffic signals. The median at the intersection of Howard Cooke Boulevard and Barnett Street will be removed to facilitate this process. The next phase of the project involves the laying of the concrete foundation for the mast arms for these traffic lights.
Once these traffic signals are installed the NWA will progress with the implementation of the alternate one-way road system. The NWA says that under this system, the flow of traffic along several roadways leading into the city centre will be designated as one-way corridors, while the direction of the flow of traffic on some streets will be reversed. Union Street, for example, will become entirely one way traveling in a northerly direction, while the one way flow along Hart and McCatty Streets will be reversed from its present south easterly direction to a northwesterly direction. This change will be from the intersection of McCatty Street and Cottage Road to the intersection of Hart and Creek Streets.
The project is expected to be fully implemented by mid August 2009.
