“Big tings a gwaan” for Jamaica, according to Minister of Land, Water and Climate Change, Robert Pickersgill, as construction company Black Brothers Incorporated (BBI) breaks ground tomorrow for the erection of a $38.2-million transportation centre in Linstead, St Catherine.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we love to say that ‘nutten naah gwaan’ in this country… well I’m here to tell you that ‘big things a gwaan’ and so let me say that I’m looking forward to the completion of our modern and efficient transporation centre here in Linstead, and to the benefits that it will provide for this constituency, for the parish of St Catherine and for Jamaica, the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business,” Pickersgill said.

The construction, which is expected to house 400 public transport operators, will include the building of an administrative office, restroom facilities, guard houses, vending shops, boundary wall fencing, external walkways and pavements, an open gazebo, and electrical and mechanical installations. Director of BBI, Patrick Crawford, told the Jamaica Observer that the centre is expected to be open for business by November.

“Undoubtedly, a modern, efficient and reliable public transportation system is critical for the growth and development of the economy,” Pickersgill stated at the contract signing ceremony in Linstead on Thursday.

“It can translate into job creation opportunities, increased mobility for working-class people and more productive civil and private sectors. Indeed, a cornerstone of any first world-economy is an efficient and effective public transportation system,” he added.

According to the minister, Linstead’s population has grown significantly over the years, resulting in the expansion of a number of sectors in the community. Several challenges have emerged, including congestion and disorder, inconveniencing pedestrians, business operators, motorists and others who transverse the town. What’s more, the current road network does not allow for further development.

“The facility will accommodate 292 route taxis and 110 rural buses. The use of the centre will be guided by a scheduling system, and let me just warn all operators that fees will be charged for the use of the centre,” Pickersgill told the audience.

The transportation centre, which will be constructed at 23 King Street — in the heart of the town, will accommodate route taxis from the communities of Bog Walk, Guys Hill, Riversdale, West Prospect and Cheesefield as well as rural buses destined for Kingston and Spanish Town among other areas.

“When completed, I firmly believe that it will provide for a more organised public transportation system and should ease the pressure in the town particularly during peak hours,” the minister said.

The transportation centre forms part of significant developments taking place in North West St Catherine over the past two years. Last August phase 2a of Highway 2000 was opened, allowing roughly 12 kilometres of access through the communities of Treadsways, Wakefield, Linstead and Vanity Fair.

The minister in his presentation also announced that he will be undertaking the upgrading and expansion of the Accident and Emergency Department at the Linstead Hospital, valued at approximately $100 million in funding from the National Health Fund.