Lucea bypass plans stir debate in Hanover Municipal Corporation

THE RECENT announcement by the Government of plans to construct a bypass to ease the perennial congestion in Lucea, Hanover, is stirring much discussion in the Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC), with at least one councillor voicing his objection to the proposal.

“Mr Chairman, I do not know how excited you are about a bypass for the town, but I am not,” said Fearon Decarish, the councillor for the Chester Castle division. “I know that if a bypass comes to the parish, the town would be going downhill, the tourists would not be able to traverse the town areas. They would take the bypass to Negril and back to Montego Bay.”

The proposed construction of a bypass is a response to the chaotic situation that has become the norm when there is flooding in the town. Earlier this year, several tourists and locals on their way from Negril came close to missing their flights out of the country.

Lucea’s Mayor Councillor Sheridan Samuels recommended that steps be taken to prevent a recurrence of the chaos that created gridlock in the town.

At a recent HMC meeting, which looked at the condition of the roadway into Lucea, suggestions were made to either expand the main road or construct a bypass to limit the amount of traffic going through the town.

The bypass appears to be Prime Minister Andrew Holness’ preferred option, as he recently announced the plans for the Lucea bypass.

Samuels rejected his colleague councillor’s position that the bypass should not be built. “To hear you say something like this, it is really a dark day for us,” said Samuels.

A decision was made at the meeting to seek ministerial dialogue to discuss the future of the town and its traffic management.