Stakeholders want Lucea bypass, not Negril airport

Prominent stakeholders in western Jamaica are of the view that, instead of establishing an international airport in Negril, the government should instead build the long overdue Lucea bypass, which they say could cut the travel time by road between Montego Bay and Negril from 90 to 30 minutes.

Hotelier Richard Wallace, former president of the Negril Chamber of Commerce, said he is against building an international airport in Negril as he believes there are other greater areas of need that he thinks should be focused on, especially the Lucea bypass, which would put an end to the perennial road congestion between the Montego Bay and Negril, the region’s premier resort towns.

“My personal belief, and based on my experience as a businessman, and as a hotelier in Negril, I believe a highway from Negril to Montego Bay would be much better than having an airport here,” said Wallace, “We already have an international airport in Montego Bay, and if we can reduce the drive time from that airport to Negril, to say, half an hour, I think that would solve not just that problem, because think about it, an airport alone is only going to improve the arrivals of people that can fly into Negril.”

Wallace, director of Boardwalk Resort in Negril, said if the government built the bypass, it would not only benefit tourists and locals driving to Negril, but could also open the door for cruise ship passengers to travel to Negril.

“If people should be made aware that the best beaches in Jamaica are just 30 minutes away from Montego Bay because right now it is an hour and a half drive both ways, just imagine a person on a cruise ship docking in Montego Bay, and they want to go to the beach, and the bypass is there, and Negril is 30 minutes away, you will have much more people coming off the ship and coming to the beach,” said Wallace.

“Bear in mind also that, you have thousands of hotel rooms in Montego Bay, that are full most of the time, and if these persons also know that now Negril is 30 minutes away, do you know how many persons will come to vacation in Negril,” added Wallace.

ECONOMIC BOOST

He said that the bypass will give Negril an economic boost.

David Stair, custos of Hanover, said priority should be given to the bypass, which he sees as key to addressing the daily congestion in townships like Hopewell and Lucea. The bypass, he said, will be a fix for the additional traffic that is expected to be generated when the Princess Hotel, in Green Island, opens its doors for business.

“That hotel is possible to be among the largest when it is completed and I know the traffic to and from it is going to be a big problem, I don’t see where an airport in Negril will help, and I don’t see as a role where people will fly to Negril instead of driving,” said Stair, “There are several large entertainment events in Negril throughout the year, and a bypass would contribute significantly as a means of travel to these events, not an airport. I definitely would go with the bypass if I had a vote so to speak.”

Neville Humphrey, a businessman and former councillor for Lucea, said an airport would do less to improve the economy in western Jamaica than having a bypass.

“I think the bypass is way better than having an airport in Negril, the bypass is much better because everybody will inherit the bypass,” said Humphrey. “How many people will fly from Kingston to Negril, or from Montego Bay to Negril, but we need the bypass, Lucea really needs the bypass, a bypass from Montego Bay to Negril is perfect, but not an airport.”