FISH vendors in Portmore who were disenfranchised by the construction of the Highway 2000 say they can’t wait to move into the new fishing village complex being built on Dyke Road near the Jamworld Entertainment Complex.

Yesterday, labourers were busy putting on roofs, sawing wood, and painting air vents at the new complex.

Construction of the buildings began in May this year, and is expected to be completed by year end, according to site supervisor Rohan Hyman.

But December can’t come too soon for Marva Lynch.

“Mi dying to move from here,” Lynch told the Sunday Observer yesterday. “It get frustrating now because we don’t make much sale here and to how di place set up, people reluctant to drive come down dere so that’s why some of we come up on the front here so.”

The original vending spot is right by the seaside, just off the abandoned Causeway bridge. Since the highway was built, however, the area has been fenced by a long piece of chain link wire, accessed by a slip road that runs off the toll road. It however makes for awkward manipulation by motorists and as a result, some of the vendors moved their dilapidated stalls closer to the entrance of the slip road.

Still, the situation is less than satisfactory.

“It taking too long man,” said Stephney Lynch of the period of construction for the new village. “First we heard it would be [completed in] November, then we heard January, but up to now we still don’t know di final date,” she said.

“We need to move man cause dis yah place yah, lawd Jesus! Sometime we deh yah fi di ole day and only sell two poun’ ah fish. Ah di toll cause it. Ah it mek wi lose wi customers because people hardly pass by here anymore. Is duppy town we call roun here yuh nuh.”

Lynch said a pound of fish was going for $350 and if someone were to come from Kingston, for example, to buy from her, it would not be cost effective since the buyer would have to pay the toll fee twice.

“Toll money can buy fish enuh,” she said.

And although the vendors are anxious to move, they say they are concerned that sales in the new village will not pick up.

“We happy that they building the new place and we know the facilities will be much better and more convenient but we concerned about the sales. We don’t know how it would go because is a new place.

“We hoping for the best though because maybe some of the customers will move with us,” another vendor added.

Earlier this year, an Observer report said the contractors, M&M Jamaica Limited, gave the assurance that there would be no cost overruns. The Sunday Observer was, however, unable to ascertain yesterday whether the work was on schedule or within budget, as up to late evening repeated calls to project manager David Foster went unanswered.

The contract awarded to M&M was $83 million.

There are three wooden buildings and 11 containers on the site, which measures roughly 9,800 square metres. Two of the wooden structures will serve as vending areas for 36 vendors while the other will house a restaurant, bar and a flat for the caretaker/security. The containers will each be divided into four sections and will serve as storage areas for some 84 fishermen.