KINGSTON, Jamaica – Police are advising of a number of traffic changes in preparation for the annual Fireworks on the Waterfront in downtown, Kingston which will be hosted by the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) on Sunday, December 31.

At midday on Sunday, December 31,Church Street, King Street, Orange Street, Princess Street West Street, Pechon Street, Ocean Boulevard and Port Royal Street will be closed.

According to the police, two-way traffic will however be permitted to facilitate entering and exiting to and from parking areas only, from the intersection of Church Street and Port Royal Street to JCC Multi-Storey Car Park, the intersection of Orange Street and Port Royal Street to Orange Street Multi-Storey Car Park, the intersection of Princess Street and Port Royal Street to Digicel Car Park, and the intersection of West Street and Port Royal Street to West Street Car Park.

“The UDC will be enacting a Park and Ride system where transportation will be provided to and from the venue. The Parking and shuttle locations are Heroes Circle transported to the Bank of Nova Scotia. Persons are being advised to follow the said instructions and park in the established areas as vehicles found outside these areas creating obstruction may be towed,” the police said in a release on Saturday.

Patrons are also being advised that no large backpacks will be allowed within the area.

“All persons exiting and entering the venue will be subject to detailed search. Some areas will have strict access control and as such no firearms will be allowed into the venue. It is a criminal offence to leave one’s firearm in a negligent manner that may/ results in it being stolen,” the release said.

The police went on to advise that, during the staging of the event, hundreds of persons usually converge along the Palisadoes main road to view the fireworks and this often leads to traffic congestion and disruption to the traffic flow along that corridor. In order to mitigate against this risk, the police will implement the following measures:

1. No Parking will be allowed along the right side of the Norman Manley Highway leading to

the airport (from the Harbour View Roundabout to the Airport R/About) between the hours

of 5:00 pm and 12:00 midnight.

2. Controlled parking will be at designated locations on the left side only. There will be no

parking in the vicinity of where the cables are located.

3. No Vending will be allowed along the strip.

The police added that there will be strict enforcement of the Road Traffic Act, and motorists are being asked to comply with the instructions of the authorities.