Western Bureau:

THE TOURISM Enhancement Fund (TEF) has spent $15 million more than the estimated $40 million projected to implement the traffic-management system for Montego Bay.

Chairman of the TEF, Godfrey Dyer, justified the additional expenditure. He said: "More traffic lights were installed than was originally planned, and some streets had to be widened that were not in the original plan. So we had to revise the estimates in order to complete the traffic-management system."

The multimillion-dollar system to control traffic in the second city was proposed through a public consultation forum in collaboration with the National Works Agency, St James Parish Council, Jamaica Constabulary Force and the Tourism Enhance-ment Fund.

The system will officially start its operation at midnight (November 7) following several delays and controversy surroun-ding its implementation.

traffic changes

For this particular plan, more than 30 traffic lights will be installed within the town. Church Street will be transformed into a one-way heading east from Harbour Street going on to Dome Street. Sections of Church Lane, Lower Bevin Avenue and Market Street will be permanently closed to vehicular traffic.

This traffic-management system will have serious implications for the St James Parish Council's metered parking system.

"We are more concerned about the maintenance of law and order in the township, and while we acknowledge that the metered parking system will be affected, it is not our primary concern," Mayor of Montego Bay, Charles Sinclair, said.