In what is hoped to be a big boost for commerce and tourism in Jamaica, the island has officially opened a new highway linking Kingston and the country’s north coast.

Jamaica Highway 2000 makes what was often a less-than-comfortable trip between Jamaica’s two urban poles a very different experience.

The 230-kilometer highway connects Kingston and Ocho Rios, passing through the parish of St Catherine.

The highway, constructed by the China Harbour Engineering Company, also reduces the driving time between Kingston and the North Coast by at least 30 minutes.

The country’s tourism board says the new link will open up “significant development opportunities,” with as many as 2,400 new rooms, along with new housing developments in the central region.

Of course, it also makes Kingston, the country’s cultural center, far more accessible for tourists (and cruise visitors) in the northern regions like Montego Bay, Ocho Rios and Negril.