MONTEGO BAY, St James

Transport Minister Mike Henry’s guarantee of a new $1.4-billion roadway by year-end to resolve the traffic nightmare being experienced by motorists who have to travel past Bogue to get in and out of Montego Bay, has seemingly buckled, as contractors Surrey Paving and Aggregate Limited have yet to start the job.

“We are working to resolve some underground utility issues but we haven’t yet been given the go-ahead to start,” Surrey’s Project manager Michael Archer, told the Observer West last night.

Swiftly scotching speculation that Surrey’s $1.4-billion contract with government to effect the repair by year-end was in financial trouble, Archer, who is off the island, said that he had no reason to doubt that the financing for the project was secure.

“I am sure that that part is on track,” he said.

At last November’s signing ceremony, Surrey’s CEO Leslie Chang, promised that the work which is to be effected under segment 1a of the North Coast Highway Improvement Project, would be completed within 12 months.

To this end, he said, the company make much use of the night hours in order to minimise inconvenience to motorists during peak hours and ensure that the completion of the project within the one-year time frame.

On Monday contractors at work on sections of the Bogue main road, advised the Observer West that they were relocating underground cables on behalf of Telecommunications company LIME to facilitate the road works.

They said that this particular task – which they had started a few days prior – would take them about a month to complete.

“By next week we expect that we will have finished casting the new container to house the cables. Then we will move them over,”one of them explained.

The Bogue main road, one of the main entrance points for traffic from the island’s south coast into Montego Bay, has for years been the source of much stress for motorists who have had to endure delays of up to four hours and more on occasion.

This has resulted in a virtually incalculable loss of productive hours, much to the consternation of tourism and business interests.

Efforts by the Observer West to get a comment from the Transport Ministry proved futile up to press time last night.