MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Business, political, and development leaders here have reiterated that the infrastructural development needed in this south-central town ought to be fast-tracked in time for the completion of the US$188-million May Pen to Williamsfield leg of Highway 2000.

Chairman of the Manchester Parish Development Committee (PDC) Anthony Freckleton, president of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce Simone Spence-Johnson, and mayor of Mandeville Donovan Mitchell are anticipating that major projects will be completed this year.

Among the projects is the implementation of the Greater Mandeville Traffic Management System.

The $80-million project, which incorporates roads and intersections being widened and signalised, is expected to create a ring road around the town.

Freckleton suggested that the highway and traffic projects be concurrent for completion.

“We are expecting that the first phase of the Mandeville traffic plan will be completed simultaneously as the extension of the highway from May Pen to Williamsfield to bring some order to traffic management to the town of Mandeville,” he said recently.

Spence-Johnson shared a similar sentiment about the two projects.

“The traffic plan for Mandeville needs to be completed simultaneously or close to the highway [deadline]… We need to strategise to see how we can get this done quickly and efficiently because if we can’t manoeuvre through the parish it cuts into our productivity,” she said in reference to congestion in Mandeville.

The highway, which when completed will give motorists travelling along the southern section of the country an option to bypass the roads, including the narrow Porus main road, is expected to be completed by the March 2023 deadline.

However, Mayor Mitchell sees things differently.

“It’s not going to be ready in the first quarter of this calendar year. If you ask anybody who knows about road construction, it can’t be ready for March because for it to be ready they will have to tie it in with the Melrose Yam Park and that hasn’t even started yet,” he told the Jamaica Observer last week.

Up to mid-2022 the National Road Operating and Constructing Company (NROCC) said following consultations with the local municipality and vendors at the Melrose Yam Park, it had set aside land to build eight additional stalls for the facility.

Credible sources had told the Sunday Observer that the highway project was 87 per cent complete as of last month, with work advancing uphill in Manchester.

Mitchell is adamant that the project will not be ready for March.

“I think it will be ready anywhere between June and September. That is my opinion of what I am seeing on the roadway there. There is still a bridge that is not yet completed at the intersection there [Melrose Hill Bypass],” he said.

Freckleton pointed to Manchester’s water woes.

“We are also expecting that more attention will be paid to Manchester as a whole. First of all, we must come up with an overall water plan for the parish,” added Freckleton.

The Pepper well field, downslope at low altitude in St Elizabeth, is the main source of water for Mandeville, which is more than 2,000 feet above sea level atop the Manchester Plateau.

Mandeville and surrounding communities have struggled with water shortage for decades, with town elders insisting over a period of many years that the problem has hindered growth.

Many households in Manchester and the wider south-central Jamaica have had to rely on rainwater harvesting.

The long-standing issue of water supply has not only affected households, but also commerce, with businesses suffering from the inconsistency in the supply of the precious commodity.

Freckleton said business interests are looking at Mandeville to invest.

“Already there is a lot of interest from both business people and persons living in Kingston wishing to explore the possibility of relocating to Manchester. Along with the municipal corporation, we have been exploring special economic zones down in the Williamsfield area, where there is government land down there,” said the PDC chairman.

He pointed to an ongoing consultation with the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) to expand the commercial boundaries in Mandeville.

“We want to ensure that the new NEPA parish development plan is aligned with the wishes of the new investors wanting to come in. I am expecting that to accelerate as the year progresses. We want to set up work with the relevant authorities – the municipal corporation, the National Land Agency – to determine those parcels of land that will be suitable for industry and housing,” he said.

Spence-Johnson is expected an economic boom for Manchester.

“We know [the highway] is going to reduce the travelling time and with that should come increased investment opportunities. We are expecting companies to look at the south-central part of the island to [invest], we are at a good geographic location,” she said.

“We are hoping that with the completion of [the highway] that the other areas within the parish can be connected and you have a smooth transition in and out of the parish,” she added.

Mayor Mitchell is also hopeful for 2023.

“We are still optimistic that the things that were on the back burner would have now come to the front burner and that the people of Manchester will see greater improvement within the town centre itself,” he said.