A temporary Airport fence which restricts taxi access to passengers has left cab drivers fuming.

The barrier, the latest in a series of Airport renovations, yesterday created traffic jams for taxi drivers and visitors alike.

"It's a mess,'' exclaimed one irate taxi driver waiting in line to pick up passengers. "Soon they will have us picking up people down by the dump.'' Bermuda Taxi Federation president Joe Brown described the morning chaos as "terribly inconvenient''.

"There was no one there to explain what was happening,'' he said. "And no one there knew what to do.

"We knew they were going to start construction but we did not know that there was going to be a fence erected.'' A fence, complete with danger and off-limits signs, was built by construction workers yesterday morning around the entire perimeter of the airport arrivals area.

There is now only a small opening to allow returning passengers to exit to their waiting rides and visitors must walk to the end of the canopy and line up for a taxi.

As a result of the fence, only two make-shift taxi bays now service visitors.

But yesterday's disorder will have to be something taxi drivers get use to Mr.

Brown said.

"This will continue for the next few months,'' he said. "It is going to require a lot of patience on the part of the drivers, but there is nothing we can do about it.'' Mr. Brown said the fence was erected to protect taxis' while construction crews expand the present canopy over the arrivals area.

"When all the planes come in it is going to be chaotic,'' he predicted. "The drivers will not be pleased about this, but hopefully it will only be for three months.'' One taxi driver said: "I hope that they have this done before the summer or else we'll have people backed up to Immigration.'' Last night Transport Minister Wayne Furbert said he would look into yesterday's upheaval in a bid to make the renovating process as stress-free as possible.

But he pointed out that anytime construction takes place, there will be some inconvenience.

Mr. Furbert estimated that the renovations will be completed by May.