Traffic on Highway 2000 East West, which runs from Kingston to May Pen, dipped by 15 per cent, or 3.6 million vehicles, due to the dampening effects of the pandemic on travel and the economy.

Highway operator TransJamaican Highway Limited tolled 20.6 million vehicles during the year, down from 24.2 million in 2019. The busiest day of the year was Christmas Eve, with 90,000 tolled vehicles, up from the usual daily average of 56,270 vehicles for other days.

The toll data precedes the release of TransJamaican’s December fourth-quarter and year-end financial results, due in coming weeks, which will capture the revenue impact of the decline in traffic volumes.

The first quarter ending March 2020 would have seen the least impact of the pandemic since the first case entered Jamaica part-way that month. The toll operator’s revenue was flat at US$12.9 million for that period.

The second and third quarters each recorded a double-digit drop in traffic, which led to a double-digit drop in revenue. Specifically, traffic dipped 34.5 per cent in the second quarter ending June, and revenue dropped by 35.7 per cent to US$8.5 million from US$13.15 million a year earlier. The third quarter witnessed a 10.1 per cent dip in traffic, and revenue dipped 16 per cent to US$11.2 million from US$13.3 million a year earlier.

The fourth quarter, between October to the end of December, also recorded a 10 per cent decline in traffic year on year, the financial impact of which the pending results will quantify.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/business/20210117/transjamaican-toll-traffic-down-36m-vehicles