Should the government reimburse TJH for the US$3.5 million they lost during Hurricane Melissa?

TransJamaican Highway, the company that operates the Highway 2000 toll roads, says it lost about US$3.5 million when tolls were suspended during Hurricane Melissa.

The government ordered that tolls be temporarily lifted to allow easier movement for emergency response, evacuations and recovery efforts. For roughly two weeks, motorists were able to use the tolled highways for free.

From a public safety standpoint, the decision made sense. Free movement can be critical during a disaster.

But from a business standpoint, TJH says that decision came at a cost.

The company operates under a long-term concession agreement, which gives it the right to collect tolls in exchange for financing, building and maintaining the highway. Toll revenue isn’t just profit. It services debt, funds maintenance and supports shareholder returns.

According to the company’s disclosures, the 15-day suspension resulted in approximately US$3.5 million in lost revenue. TJH says it is now in discussions with the Toll Authority about compensation for that loss.

This is where things get more complex.

Even though the toll suspension was ordered by the government during an emergency, the company argues that its contractual and property rights were affected. In simple terms, it’s saying: if the State steps in and stops us from collecting revenue under our agreement, shouldn’t we be made whole?

But at the same time, context matters.

TransJam still reported overall revenue growth last year and remained profitable despite the interruption. So this isn’t about survival; it’s about protecting a predictable revenue stream.

And that raises the bigger policy question: when a national emergency hits, who absorbs the financial shock? The public? The private operator? Or some negotiated middle ground?

There’s no final decision yet. Talks are ongoing.

And that’s the bottom line.