Less than $500 toll expected for May Pen to Mandeville

Less than $500 toll expected for May Pen to Mandeville

Managing Director of TransJamaican Highway (TJH), Ivan Anderson says it will cost less than $500 to travel on the May Pen to Mandeville leg of Highway 2000 when it is completed early next year.

TJH is responsible for the development, operation and maintenance of Highway 2000 East-West toll roads, which runs from Mandela Highway in St Catherine to May Pen in Clarendon. TJH is also responsible for the toll road along the Portmore Causeway Bridge.

Speaking on Taking Stock with Kalilah Reynolds, Anderson said that the toll prices will be in line with the current per kilometre rate that is used for other tolls.

For instance, it currently costs class 1 motorists $210 to travel along the Spanish Town leg of the highway, which is about 13 km long. The per kilometre rate for that leg works out to $16.15.

According to Anderson, the May Pen to Mandeville section will be about 28 kilometres.

If the same per kilometre rate is applied, the cost for the new leg of the highway would be $452.20.

“It won’t be that much. We expect that the toll rate will be affordable and it will be such that we encourage people to use the road,” Anderson said.

The new leg of the highway is being built by China Harbour Engineering Company through a partnership with the Government of Jamaica.

While TJH does not currently own the leg, Anderson explained that their agreement with the Government gives them the right to enter negotiations to acquire that leg of the highway before any other company.

He said the new section is scheduled to be completed by March 2023.

The Managing Director said an average of 14,000 cars travel through May Pen daily, and he expects a similar level of traffic once the highway is open.

Meanwhile, Anderson said TJH has also begun partnering with housing developers to create access points along Highway 2000 to various housing developments.

He noted that there are several new developments being established between Kingston and May Pen and the company has identified ways to increase the convenience for the motoring public.

“We see the new Phoenix Park development taking place around Bernard Lodge, which has a few thousand units, so we’re looking to open up access to Phoenix Park,” he added.

Anderson said that TJH had to look for innovative ways to diversify their portfolio after suffering major losses in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

TJH recorded a net loss of US$1.87 million in 2020, following Government imposed lockdowns and curfew restrictions designed to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

“We had big impacts. The first few months (after the start of the pandemic) we were down some 20-25 percent,” he revealed.

“We knew that COVID would not be forever, so during that period of time we took a look at the infrastructure of the highway and the software of the highway and how our toll plazas work,” he said.

Additionally, with the increase in electric vehicles on Jamaica’s roads, Anderson said that TJH has been in discussions with electric vehicle charging port providers to establish charging ports along the highway. He added that the company has also been investing in gas stations along the highway to increase convenience.

END

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Sashell Williams2024-09-03T21:40:31-05:00