PHASE one of a new transport centre in downtown Kingston, somewhat similar to the one opened in Half-Way-Tree on the weekend, is expected to be completed and ready for use in another five months, the government promised yesterday.

At the same time, the St William Grant Park, also in downtown Kingston, is to be renovated, as the administration pushes its plan to revive the city's business district.

Joseph Hibbert (left), state minister for transport and works, Francis Kennedy, a member of the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) board and chairman of the Kingston City Centre Improvement Company (KCCIC), and Louis Williams (right), chairman of the UDC, sign the contract for the Urban Transport Centre and renovation work on the St William Grant Park at Jamaica House yesterday. (Photo: Lionel Rookwood)

Contracts for work to begin on the Urban Transport Centre and the St William Grant Park were signed yesterday between the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) and Alcar Construction and Jatlin Construction and Associates Limited.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding told the signing ceremony that work on the centre, to be built at Water Lane, must be completed within the five-month period, and that on the park should be renovated within six months.

"The contract (for the transport centre) is slated to last for five months, and five months under this dispensation means five months," Golding told the contractors at the signing at Jamaica House in Kingston.

The prime minister said there has been too much bad history of contracts extending way beyond the time, and warned that the $161 million budgeted for the downtown transport centre was what would be spent on the project.

"If you have extensive variations and escalation send them somewhere else; don't send them to Jamaica House because we are maintaining a very tight reign in management of contracts," Golding said.

The centre will accommodate 273 Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) buses as well as several commercial shops which will be built in the second phase of the project.

In the meantime, the prime minister said arrangements will have to be made for non-JUTC buses which will not be allowed to use the facility, in order to ease congestion in the busy commercial district.

Recommendation has also been made for the National Works Agency (NWA) to build a pedestrian bridge across Water Lane for easy access to the downtown transport centre.

As for the St William Grant Park, $90 million will be spent to upgrade the facility which will include enhancing of the landscape, additional sanitary facilities, modification and redesign of the fountain, improved lighting and additional administration facilities to ensure the sustained management and maintenance of the park.

Golding said upgrading these facilities is "one thing", but managing and maintaining them so as to retain the value of investment is an area that has fallen off ever so often.

He said the park is intended to complement the redevelopment planned for downtown Kingston, and will not be for idlers.

"We are not spending this amount of money for it to be there for loafers, pimp and touts and loiters.... it is not a place to become a residence for persons with no fix address," he said.

Meanwhile, acting general manager of the UDC, Joy Douglas, said the Urban Transport Centre, which will see collaboration between the UDC and the Kingston City Centre Improvement Company (KCCIC), will complement the Half-Way-Tree Centre and provide an important linkage to the municipality of Portmore.

As for the St William Grant Park, she said the objective is to enhance the landscaping as well as to improve security, while not detracting from the ambiance of the park.

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