Devon Evans, Gleaner Writer

OCHO RIOS, St. Ann:

Ground was officially broken on Saturday by Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller for the constructionof the Mount Rosser bypass road linking St. Catherine with St. Ann.

The Prime Minister said the road, a four-lane dual carriageway, will begin at the Bog Walk/Linstead bypass and bypass the town of Ewarton, Mount Rosser and Mount Diablo and continue through to Claremont just outside of Moneague.

The 24-kilometre highway will cost $7 billion, covering a range of aspects from land acquisition, road construction, building of a toll plaza and the installation of utilities.

The project will be undertaken by TransJamaican Highway/Bouygues, which were the developers of Highway 2000. The work is scheduled to be completed in 30 months.

The Prime Minister noted that the commencement of work on the Mount Rosser bypass marks the culmination of more than 40 years of studies into the problem-plagued narrow motorway, often beset by trailer breakdowns and hours-long traffic snarls.

She said Jamaica stood to benefit from increased productivity from the development of the country's road network under Highway 2000.

The groundbreaking ceremony took place at Schwallenburgh, near Faith's Pen, in St. Ann.

The Prime Minister tried to reassure vendors at the Faith's Pen arcade who have been voicing concern over the future of their businesses after the bypass is completed.

Simpson Miller pointed out that the Mount Rosser bypass marks the first phase of the creation of a new roadway which will link Spanish Town and Ocho Rios.

"The other phases of the 67-kilometre road development project between Spanish Town and Ocho Rios will see the bypassing of the Bog Walk gorge and Fern Gully."