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North-South leg of Highway 2000 renamed in honour of Edward Seaga

 

The North-South leg of Highway 2000 was renamed the Edward Seaga Highway on Tuesday morning.

The renaming came despite criticisms from the opposition People’s National Party (PNP) which claimed that it was an inappropriate decision.

The PNP kept true to its promise to boycott the renaming ceremony, and staged a small protest at the southern end of the highway to stress its continued opposition.

The PNP controlled St. Catherine Municipal Corporation last week passed a resolution, calling for the section of the road which passes through that parish to be named in honour of former PNP President and Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller.

The government did not relent however and went ahead with the naming of the full length of the highway in honour of Mr. Seaga.

Edward Seaga was Prime Minister of Jamaica from late 1980 to early 1989.

He also held several portfolios, including Finance and Development, in the Jamaica Labour Party Cabinet of 1962 to 1972.

Tuesday’s ceremony was held at the Unity Valley Toll Plaza in Moneague, St. Ann, partly in recognition of the pivotal role Edward Seaga played in the development of the resort town of Ocho Rios in that parish.

Highway conceptualised

Highway 2000 was conceptualised by the PNP administration led by Prime Minister P.J. Patterson in the late 1990s, as one of a set of Millennium Projects, aimed at facilitating the rapid development of the country at the turn of the new millennium.

Work began on the East-West leg of the highway a few years later, and that section has been named in honour of Mr. Patterson.

Construction of the North-South leg started under Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller and continued under succeeding JLP and PNP administrations before being completed in 2016, shortly after the JLP returned to office for a second time since the start of construction.

 

 



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