JHTA fears winter season gridlock as MoBay roadworks lag

WESTERN BUREAU:

The Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) is warning that worsening traffic congestion in Montego Bay threatens to disrupt the winter tourist season as major roadworks remain unfinished.

JHTA Area Chapter Chairman Kerry-Ann Quallo-Casserly has expressed growing frustration over delays in completing Phase One of the Montego Bay Perimeter Road project, which was originally scheduled for completion in June, subsequently pushed back to September, and remains unfinished in October.

Her concerns come as ongoing infrastructure works along the Rose Hall Elegant Corridor compound traffic problems at the eastern end of the resort city, raising fears of gridlock during one of Jamaica’s busiest tourism periods.

“We already have that congestion to deal with in the Rose Hall Elegant Corridor area. Now we are approaching the winter season, and I’m particularly concerned whether we’re going to be completed by then,” Quallo-Casserly told The Gleaner.

She warned that congestion at both ends of the city could have far-reaching consequences for visitors travelling between Sangster International Airport, hotels, attractions, and destinations such as Negril and Hanover.

“If you have congestion on both sides of the spectrum, in Rose Hall and also by the other end of the thoroughfare, then we’re going to have problems,” she said.

According to the hotelier, traffic conditions have deteriorated noticeably over the past month, with complaints coming from several players in the tourism industry, including tour operators, destination management companies, travel partners, transport operators, and vendors.

She said visitors are already experiencing lengthy delays reaching their accommodation and accessing attractions, potentially affecting their overall impression of Jamaica.

“It just affects the overall guest experience from the get-go,” she explained. “They haven’t started their vacation experience on the right foot.”

CONSEQUENCES

Quallo-Casserly argued that the consequences extend beyond inconvenience as frustrated visitors may become less inclined to spend money on additional activities, excursions, and services.

“Once you’re upset, you’re not in a good mood to spend any extraordinary amount of money. You’ve already wasted time, and as we also say, time is money,” she said.

The JHTA representative stressed that residents and workers are equally affected, with traffic delays translating into lost productivity as employees struggle to reach their workplaces on time.

She acknowledged the importance of ongoing infrastructure improvements, including the Western Water Resilience Project, but called for greater coordination among agencies and contractors undertaking major works across the city.

“While we appreciate that we have to improve the infrastructure, we know that there is no gain without pain. But there are so many things that need to be regulated across all entities,” she said.

“We at JHTA are saying we do not want to accept any further delays, and we are calling on NROCC (the National Road Operating and Constructing Company) to speed up the work that they are doing,” she said.

She believes completion of the first phase of the bypass would help redistribute traffic, provide alternative routes, and ease pressure on the city’s heavily congested road network.

The benefits, she argued, would extend to motorists travelling through Ironshore and those heading towards Montego Bay’s commercial centres, including Fairview, as well as communities in Hanover and Westmoreland.

Quallo-Casserly said she had made inquiries about the project’s revised completion date but had not yet received a response from the relevant project representative.

She pledged to continue pressing for answers, maintaining that the issue was of critical importance to tourism stakeholders and the wider Montego Bay community.

“Our residents are as important as our visitors,” she emphasised.

Efforts by The Gleaner to obtain a comment from the NROCC on the status of the project and its revised completion date proved unsuccessful.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com