BRICK streets, bright lights, walls laden with art, a hall of fame, plus a ferry to transport people to experience the grandeur of the new-look Port Henderson Road, are all part of Robert Miller’s plan for the infamous “Back Road”.

In fact, the Member of Parliament (MP) for St Catherine South Eastern told the Jamaica Observer that he has his sights set on turning the popular strip into Jamaica’s Las Vegas, as he takes steps to revamp the unofficial red-light district of the Sunshine City into a tourist destination and the largest hip strip in the island.

However, Back Road and the world’s oldest profession have become synonymous over the years, so with the rebranded strip expected to model “Sin City” — as Las Vegas, with its abundance of gambling, fine dining, shopping, entertainment and nightlife, is sometimes called — one might wonder if this could mean a rubber-stamping for sex workers and them plying their trade in the area. However, Miller told the Sunday Observer that this is not the case.

“No thought has been given to it [prostitution]. It is still illegal on the books in Jamaica so one cannot, in any way, shape, or form, plan for stuff like that. That is against the laws of the land,” he said.

Instead, the MP said efforts are being made to find different avenues for sex workers so as to expose them to opportunities and a life outside of prostitution.

Miller said Port Henderson Road, which already has popular spots like Jewels, Prendy’s, Di Dragon, Andre’s, Jolly’s, and Morgan’s In, is “pregnant with opportunities”.

“I want to do the interior road surface like sidewalks with bricks, a lot of art on the walls coming in. I want to have a hall of fame with some stars of famous persons from Portmore. I want to have a statue of George Lee at the front, as the first mayor of Portmore,” Miller told the Sunday Observer, adding that he also expects to have a welcome sign and lots of lights.

“I want the area to be the fine arts Mecca of the Caribbean. It is close to JamWorld [Entertainment Complex], you can come and get some of the nice food around there, and [I want to] really encourage community tourism so that persons can come in… to really reposition and rebrand the entire Port Henderson Road,” he added.

He explained that his plan also includes the fishing villages in the area, with discussions already under way with private entities that have expressed an interest in partnering for an overall facelift, specifically of the New Forum Fishing Village.

“I would love to push back the fishing village right close to the bridge so [that] it is not a bottleneck for traffic to traverse the area, and to give some training to the fisherfolk and deck them in some nice aprons etc,” said the Member of Parliament.

Some might question whether this plan is a pipe dream since, more than a decade ago, former Mayor Keith Hinds also aimed to see the popular Portmore strip developed into a
bona fide tourist destination. And when Miller mentioned the plan in his State of the Constituency Debate in the House of Representatives recently, he was actually reiterating his commitment to getting it done, having included it as part of his plans when he took office. But the first-time MP told the Sunday Observer there is already a master plan in place that was developed with the help of Tourism Product Development Company and which is likely to be tweaked as things progress.

He said, too, that he’s already had meetings with stakeholders in the area, and they are all ready to go.

Miller did, however, acknowledge that the Back Road rebrand is not a plan that will be achieved tomorrow, and was guarded about putting a timeline to its implementation.

“One thing I said before I became MP is that I would do everything to ensure that in my first term…the [Portmore] Resilience Park comes to be, and it’s actually taking place now, so I really don’t like giving timelines because, you know, this is government and it all depends on the plan of the Government,” he said.

Work got under way on the Portmore Resilience Park in St Catherine earlier this year. The project, which was launched by Prime Minister Andrew Holness on January 17 and is expected to be completed by 2025, is expected to provide space for recreation, sports, wellness and entertainment, and comes as the Government moves to establish Portmore as the country’s 15th parish.

Miller also told the Sunday Observer that since there already exists an inclination towards the north coast for all things tourism, the task is to change the perception and to sell the idea that the country needs to also look at the south coast.

“We are close to Kingston, we are close to the airport, we are close to Port Royal,” said Miller. “Part of the plan is [a] park and go. So cruise ships dock in Port Royal, we want to take them over to Portmore as well — Two Sisters Cave is over there; [there is also] the rich heritage of even Waterford, where a lot of entertainment and sports persons came from — to have a feel of the area. Park and go, run a ferry from Port Henderson Road straight to Kingston, straight to Port Royal. We are doing that investigation now in terms of the agreement of the toll road, if it is fruitful to run a ferry. All of those are taking place now and, you’d agree, will take some time but that’s the broader plan for Port Henderson Road.”

The MP reiterated that things are in the “preliminary stages”, “but I’m trying to see how best I can bite at one piece at a time to see how best we can develop… [and] rebrand the area,” said Miller.