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About The Project
Highway 2000 is the
centerpiece of a multi-year Millennium Projects Programme initiated
by the Government of Jamaica announced by Prime Minister P.J.
Patterson in September 1999.
The main objective of these projects is to upgrade the
country’s infrastructure and assist in providing economic
opportunities for growth and the creation of jobs.
These
Millennium Projects include the establishment of a new population
center in mid-island, a Sports complex, the Milk River Spa,
Vernamfield as a major cargo facility, four industrial parks, a
Maroon Theme and the construction of Highway 2000.
The
highway is intended to be a four to six lane controlled-access,
tolled motorway with fully grade separated interchanges and
intersections built according to modern international standards.
Highway
2000 will connect the capital Kingston with Montego Bay and Ocho
Rios passing through St. Catherine, Manchester, St. Elizabeth,
Westmoreland, Hanover and St. Ann.
The
Project is being developed on a design, build, operate and
transfer basis by Bouygues Travaux Publics, the Developer/Concessionaire
selected through
an internationally supervised and transparent bidding process.
The Developer/Concessionaire is also part of a
private/public partnership with the Government of Jamaica in the
successful implementation of the country’s most ambitious
infrastructure project.
Implementation
of the Highway 2000 project will address the problems of reduced
economic activity and road congestion in the following ways:
- It
will serve as a catalyst for economic activity along its
corridor and therefore create a synergistic and integrated
platform for ensuring increased economic activity.
- It
will provide direct and efficient links between the major
economic centers, thereby reducing congestion on the existing
road system.
- It
will reduce population pressures on the major urban centers as
commuting from suburban and rural areas will be greatly
facilitated.
- It
will increase the safety of motorists and reduce vehicle operating
costs through the use of higher standards of highway design.
- The
project is implemented as a public-private partnership
structured to afford the project the maximum benefits of cost
and operational efficiency, which the private sector involvement
can bring.
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