MANDEVILLE, Manchester — The long-standing issue of traffic congestion in this south-central town is to be reduced in the coming months, with plans advanced for a Greater Mandeville Traffic Management System.

“There will be more east-west traffic [movement] instead of moving north-south. We are going to have like a ring road going around Mandeville to get you from point A to point B as quickly as possible and all of these [roads] signalised,” Anthony Freckleton, chairman of the Manchester Parish Development Committee (PDC), told the Jamaica Observer recently.

The $80-million project, which incorporates roads and intersections being widened and signalised, is being prioritised for sensitisation among stakeholders starting January.

“The idea is to come up with the solutions for the congestion and then we will be doing an extensive consultation with all the stakeholders in the area including the hospital (Mandeville Regional), all the [people in the] commercial areas, the chamber of commerce and taxi associations,” explained Freckleton.

He said following the consultation a presentation will be made to the Manchester Municipal Corporation for its input.

“After that when we have a consensus we will make a presentation to the municipal corporation for them to buy into the project,” said Freckleton.

Among the roads and intersections to be signalised under the Greater Mandeville Traffic Management System are North Race Course Road to Main Street, North Race Course Road to Caledonia Road, Villa Road to Main Street, South Race Course Road, Caledonia Road, Park Crescent, Manchester Road, Perth Road, and Greenvale Road.

Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation with responsibility for works Everald Warmington, in announcing the project in August, explained some of the traffic changes.

“We will be implementing turning lanes along Main Street onto North Race Course Road…conversion of Manchester Road into full two-way operation. There will be additional medians and turning lanes throughout the town of Mandeville,” said Warmington.

Freckleton is confident that the approach being taken to address the traffic congestion in Mandeville, “will make it as seamless as possible with the new arrangement”.

He explained that motorists will be allowed to drive across Main Street from Villa Road.

“When you are coming up Villa Road and you want to go down to the shopping centre that part of the median will be taken out, so that you can travel across [the road] instead of going up and coming back down,” he said.

“The work will make life a little bit easier for the motorists, that is the intention,” added Freckleton.

Plans are also advanced, in conjunction with the Northern Caribbean University (NCU), to convert the intersection of May Day Road and Manchester Road to a school zone with a pedestrian cross walk and lay-by to provide safety for students of the Seventh-day Adventist affiliated Victor Dixon High School.

Freckleton reflected on the March 10, 2017 accident, which claimed the life of Amelia Willis, a Victor Dixon High School student, who was hit by a taxi while crossing the main road.

He said discussions have been ongoing with NCU’s president Dr Lincoln Edwards.

“We agreed to construct a lay-by and an area where the students can gather to await transportation,” said Freckleton.

“It is obvious that with the paving of that roadway, people are speeding. It is now a racecourse there right now,” he added.

When asked about plans to construct side walks in Mandeville and its environs, Freckleton pointed to a section of deCarteret Road that he deemed as a priority.

“At the Belair School on deCarteret Road there is a section that is really dangerous. It is narrow and the NWA [National Works Agency] is going to be looking at that to see how best to treat that situation,” declared Freckleton.