EXCITED St Thomas residents found it difficult to contain their emotions on Thursday as they witnessed the official naming of the Paul Bogle Highway in the parish.

According to one male resident, the road represents “the opening of greater possibilities for the parish”.

Chants of “fourth term loading” could be heard from people in the crowd gathered at the Morant Bay roundabout, as Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness declared that St Thomas is beginning to rise above its long-term label as the forgotten parish.

The Paul Bogle Highway is 31.5 kilometres in length and stretches from Harbour View, St Andrew, to the Morant Bay roundabout in St Thomas.

“This is the section named the Paul Bogle Highway. We are contemplating to name the remaining section, up to the border of Portland, the George William Gordon Highway. George William Gordon will have a claim to that road. We will talk and consult to hear your opinion,” Holness told the gathering.

Bogle and William Gordon are two of Jamaica’s seven national heroes with historical ties to St Thomas, where they led what is known as the Morant Bay Rebellion in 1865.

The prime minister pointed out that most of Jamaica’s infrastructure was built during the colonial era, and implored citizens to assume the mindset that Jamaica can build it’s own infrastructure.

“We mustn’t be afraid to build our own infrastructure; infrastructure makes life better and gives greater resilience. This road will improve the lives of the people in this parish,” Holness said as he argued that businesses in St Thomas will see more customers from outside that parish while people are making decisions regarding land due to the existence of the highway.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness greets residents of St Thomas celebrating the naming of the Paul Bogle Highway in that parish. (Garfield Robinson)

According to Holness, there are already plans in place to build 5,000 houses in St Thomas as well as a new shipping port.

“We are well advanced. It is an aggregate port but also for cruise shipping,” he said, attracting applause from St Thomas residents.

He said that a museum also forms part of the plans, as well as other developments.

“History comes full circle as we name this road in honour of our National Hero Paul Bogle,” Holness said.

To the people who were displaced during the construction of the roadway, Holness asked them to “pardon the progress”.

“The road has given a new sense of development to the people of St Thomas. Some people say development has not passed their yard yet. I take a short bow for the road and gloat for a moment, but the struggle continues. I understand the struggle and I am not afraid of the struggle. We continue to fight for development. Whether you are JLP [Jamaica Labour Party] or PNP [People’s National Party] supporters, our country must develop. This road passes all the communities, and everybody must benefit from the road,” Holness said.

He added that people once had a difficult time when travelling to St Thomas because of the roads, and the Government initially considered building a toll road in the parish but, after reconsideration it was agreed that development should not bypass the people.