Toll road operator TransJamaican Highway says the recent rebranding of its network from Highway 2000 East-West to TransJam Highways represents “a new strategic direction” for the company.

“We’ve restructured our operations to ensure that we are better equipped to meet the challenge of the modern tolling landscape. We’ve embraced a culture of continuous improvement,” Ivan Anderson, Managing Director of TransJamaican Highway, said at the rebranding ceremony at the Portmore Toll Plaza Recreational Field in St Catherine.

Anderson noted that the organisation has been listening to its customers and responding to their needs, noting that as a result it has been ramping up access to convenience facilities along the highway for commuters.

“Over the years we’ve been monitoring what customers want from us. And in fact, last year for the first time, what they wanted was not necessarily lower toll rates, but what they wanted was increased access to facilities along the highway. Gas stations, convenience stores, and in fact that’s what is being done as you see,” Anderson said.

“So next to the Portmore Toll Plaza we have a new Rubis facility which will have additional convenience stores within it and that is slated to be completed next year,” he added.

Meanwhile, Colin Murray, the managing director of Jamaica Infrastructure Operator, said interchangeability of lanes has also been added as a result of customer feedback.

“Over the years, we would have seen the growth in traffic, and we would have seen the need to offer the convenience beyond just the tag customers, because we know that we still have that semblance of persons that will continue to try and keep with the cash environment.

“So the lanes have had to be improved, both in terms of numbers and in terms of the modularity of it, meaning … every single lane now can be operated in either a manual mode or a tag mode,” Murray said, adding we also have what we call the interchangeability of the direction, meaning there will be times, depending on the traffic, when you might need to have more lanes in a particular direction, so the number of reversible lanes has been increased.”

Charlton McFarlane, principal director at the Ministry of Transport, lauded the toll road operator while noting that the country’s highways are “much more than asphalt and toll plazas”.

“It in fact acts as a lifeline that connects communities, facilitating commerce and of course enabling Jamaicans to move more efficiently and safely across the island. These toll roads have become essential in reducing travel time, in improving road safety and in facilitating enhanced productivity,” McFarlane said.