Thursday, November 13,
2008
Hon. Lester Michael Henry,
CD
Minister
Kingston, Jamaica
Greetings
Minister Henry,
Re: The Bob Marley Highway
I am pleased to see you are living up to your campaign
promises on the issue of
The Hon. Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley Highway.
We know if you allow us to present our proposal to parliament for approval, it will be a:
We are positive that you and the kind Members of
Parliament will see it as a good for the Jamaican people and so we look forward
to your quick response as we plan to do a motorcade along the along the highway
on February 6th 2009 to celebrate the
One love
Ras Astor Black
President
Jamaica Alliance Movement
(movement of good people)
Highway request for Marley
published:
Sunday | April 30, 2006
- CONTRIBUTED
RIGHT:
Teino Evans and Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writers
However, if one Marley advocate has his way, the Gong's tough name will be officially ingrained into smooth tarmac of a highway that all can see and certainly get a smooth ride on.
Ras Astor Black, who recently convened the first induction into the Reggae Walk of Fame, has proposed just that for the highway being built along Jamaica's north coast, parts of which are already complete. And, coincidentally enough, construction is now going on in St. Ann, where Marley was born, with rapid development taking place along the stretch from the capital, St. Ann's Bay,through to Runaway Bay, communities through which his Nine Miles birthplace can be accessed.
And as Marley did sing "life is one big road with lots of signs" in Wake Up and Live, it would be a comfortable fit if there were lots of signs along the stretch of road from Negril to Port Antonio with his name.
"The Hon. Robert Nesta '
APPROVAL
Black says he is seeking approval from the National Works Agency (NWA) and Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, and that he has had positive feedback from other business persons.
"All
the hoteliers that I've spoken to and other persons love the idea, they
are all for the idea. I wrote to Mr. Malcolm (NWA) but they haven't
responded as yet, and I also wrote to
Desmond Malcolm, project director for the North Coast Highway Improvement Project, said the naming of highways in Jamaica is not the job of the NWA, but the responsibility of Cabinet, Parliament and even the people of Jamaica.
"Mr. Black needs to take that up with the local representatives, parish council, and I'm sure it would have to go to Cabinet and the Parliament of Jamaica," he said.
NO LETTER
Malcolm says he has not yet seen a letter from Mr. Black, but informed The Sunday Gleaner that sections of the new highway have already been named. "Segment one, I think sections of it from Negril to Montego Bay, several sections have already been named after persons who served in government, and segment two (Montego Bay to Ocho Rios), nothing is being contemplated as yet as that highway has not yet been completed. There is also a segment three, that will run from Ocho Rios to Port Antonio," Malcolm said.
Several
major roads in Jamaica are named after politicians, among them Michael
Manley Boulevard which connects Windward Road with downtown Kingston
along the coast, the Ken Jones Highway in Portland and the Winston
Jones Highway going up the steep incline to access Mandeville,
Manchester, from the Clarendon end. Norman Manley Boulevard is the main
road through Negril, the tourist haven in the western end. And while
the name of the roads remains the same, Portia Simpson Miller Square
was established after extensive renovation work at the intersection of
Hagley Park Road,
MANY TO BENEFIT
Black, however, maintains that many will stand to benefit from naming the Northern Coastal Highway the
The idea of tours along a
There is, however, a road already named after
OLD ENTERTAINERS
"They were named after old entertainers. You have
"I guess it's in honour of their outstanding work in music and contribution to the building of reggae music. If you notice, many of these names are foundation," he said.
Then there is precedent for renaming a road for, if not an entertainer, then certainly a very influential studio whose name is almost synonymous with a noted producer. Brentford Road in Kingston was renamed Studio One Boulevard on Friday, April 30, 2004, for the famous studio operated at number 13 by Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd since 1963. Studio One is widely accepted as having primary position in Jamaica's music history, with Dodd being its father figure.
FORMALITIES
In an earlier interview with Mayor Desmond McKenzie, he told The Gleaner that "The resolution to change it from Brentford Road to Studio One Boulevard was taken by the previous council, not by my council. All that we are doing is carrying out the formalities and the formal function."
Whether or not there will ever be a
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20060430/ent/ent1.html