Susan Gordon, Business Reporter

The Urban Development Corporation (UDC) is to oversee construction of a $161 million 'Urban Transport Centre, to be developed at Water Lane, Kingston, starting this month.

The new centre will replace the existing bus park currently located in the Parade area of the city in proximity to stores and the market.

The job is to be handled by Alcar Construction and Haulage Company. The contract has already been endorsed by the National Contracts Commission.

The UDC, a state agency, says the bus park will be constructed on 3.3 hectares (8.1 acres) of land it owns, but which is leased to the Kingston City Centre Improvement Company (KCCIC), a combination government/private sector company established to improve infrastructure in downtown Kingston.

The project is to last six months.

Wednesday Business was informed by the UDC that the $161 million, which will be government funded, related to the bus park only.

Other supporting facilities for the transport centre, including office and commercial space, are to be funded by the private sector. That investment was not disclosed.

The park will, on completion, have space for 55 of the large buses operated by the state-owned bus company, Jamaica Urban Transit Company, while the UDC says it expects daily pass-through of 3,000 passengers.

The revenue projections for the new facility were also not disclosed.

susan.gordon@gleanerjm.com