DEVELOPERS WORKING on the Portmore leg of the Highway 2000 project yesterday dismissed threats by Portmore citizens that they would legally seek to suspend work if their concerns about the proposed $65 toll charge is not addressed.
"I'm not sure on what grounds they can take legal action as there is nothing illegal being done," said Trevor Jackson, managing director of TransJamaican Highway Limited (THL), a subsidiary of the developer, Bouy-gues Travaux Publics of France, which is responsible for the Highway 2000 project.
NO CONSULTATIONS
A significant number of the Portmore residents who met at the mass community meeting at the Portmore HEART Aca-demy said no one held consultations with them regarding the development and felt it was sufficient grounds to consider legal action. They also questioned the use of the Mandela Highway as an alternative route.
According to the Toll Roads Act, "no road shall be designated as a toll road unless in the area in which the toll road is to be established there is an alternative route accessible to the public by vehicular or other traffic."
It also stipulates among other things that if a road is to be tolled, the toll road concessionaire must inform members of the public or interest groups of the proposed order and invite them to forward submissions in writing concerning the proposed order.
SHOT DOWN SUGGESTIONS
In the meantime, Mr. Jackson also shot down suggestions by Portmore citizens that they be exempted from toll charges. "Absolutely not. The project is pretty clear. We have to make back our money.
The toll is an alternative source of funding. At the end of the day the Government can tell us not to have the toll but they would have to bear the cost. How does a country that has borrowed up to it's eyeballs pay for a project like this," said Mr. Jackson.
"I think it is in Jamaica's interest that the project goes ahead. As far as I see, it, the toll road, would be a bargain to Portmore as you would spend less time in traffic and use less gas with the highway," he added.
