Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller (2ndleft), and former Prime Minister, the Most Hon. P.J. Patterson (2nd right), along with Transport, Works, and Housing Minister, Dr. the Hon. Omar Davies (left), and Managing Director TransJamaican Highway, Guillaume Allain, stand in front of the sign bearing the new name of the Kingston to May Pen segment of Highway 2000, which was unveiled during Friday’s (April 17) renaming ceremony, at the corridor’s Old Harbour Interchange in St. Catherine. The 44-kilometre roadway, which has been renamed the P.J. Patterson Highway, is managed by TransJamaican Highway.
The Kingston to May Pen leg of Highway 2000 has been officially re-named the P.J. Patterson Highway, in honour of Jamaica’s sixth Prime Minister, who was instrumental in initiating the corridor’s development.
The 44-kilometre toll road, which was developed between 1999 and 2007, runs from Mandela Highway in St. Catherine to the May Pen round-a-bout in Clarendon,
Renaming of the roadway was formally announced by Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, during a ceremony at the highway’s Old Harbour interchange in St. Catherine, today (April 17).
The exercise coincided with Mr. Patterson’s 80th birthday celebrations, and among the guests were members of his family, past and present Ministers of Government, Parliamentarians, Diplomats, Custodes and Mayors and as well as residents of neighbouring communities.
Delivering the keynote address, Mrs. Simpson Miller said Mr. Patterson “is most deserving” of the honour, pointing out that spearheading development of a modern highway network “was an example of visionary leadership at its best.”
“Highway 2000 and the north coast highway have helped to open up Jamaica to new levels of tourism and housing development. Jamaicans now have more options in determining where to live, because the highways have cut travel time and reduce the hassle to commute on a daily basis,” she said.
In this regard, the Prime Minister said Jamaica’s highway network will have “pride of place,” as being among “the most revolutionary developments to have taken place in the history of our country.”
