It is now P.J. Patterson Highway

The Kingston to May Pen leg of Highway 2000 was on Friday officially re-named P.J. Patterson Highway, in honour of Jamaica’s sixth Prime Minister.

Mr. Patterson, as Prime Minister, was instrumental in initiating the development of the road, promoted at the turn of the century as one of several Millenium Projects that would be pursued to improve the country's infrastructure.

The 44-kilometre road section, construction of which got underway in April 2002, 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 Portia Simpson Miller during a ceremony at the highway’s Old Harbour interchange in St. Catherine.

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, as well as residents of neighbouring communities.

Delivering the keynote address, Mrs. Simpson Miller said Mr. Patterson was "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 reduced 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.”

Additionally, she said Mr. Patterson will, similarly, “have a special place in the history of modern Jamaica,” for his contribution to the network’s development.

Karl Samuda, Opposition Spokesman on Industry, Investment & Commerce, who represented Opposition Leader Andrew Holness, said renaming the highway in Mr. Patterson’s honour was “no surprise to me.”

Mr. Samuda affirmed that Mr. Patterson’s decision to persevere with the highway’s development, despite the sceptics, “was right.”

In his reply, Mr. Patterson thanked his former colleagues in government, “for their support in making the new highway possible.”

“No one can ask for a greater privilege than to have been able to serve one’s country and, as leader of that country, to help in advancing the welfare of its people. Today, it makes me very proud to be acknowledged by so many (persons),” he said.

Mr. Patterson is the longest serving Prime Minister in Jamaica’s history, having done so for 14 consecutive years, from 1992 to 2006.

SOURCE: JIS