Plans are on stream to build an interchange at the insection of the Western Main Road and the Diego Martin Highway to alleviate traffic woes in west Trinidad. Director of Highways Roger Ganesh said so yesterday as the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure had to reverse its decision to close off the west-to-east bowtie of the Western Main Road in Cocorite early yesterday. The decision came after fiery protests began around 5 am yesterday. It lasted several hours.
Ganesh said the interchange, which is expected to start in June next year, would take two to three years to complete. He also dismissed claims that there were no consultations with residents, saying even before the Diego Martin Highway extension was constructed, several discussions were held on the new traffic changes in west Trinidad. Burning piles of debris, angry residents said the intersection was used by thousands of drivers and people who live in Cocorite Terrace, Waterhole, Harding Place, Nile Street and environs, and Fort George.
As a result of the protest, thousands of drivers, commuters and schoolchildren heading into Port-of-Spain sat for hours in bumper-to-bumper traffic, stretching as far back as Carenage and Petit Valley. Sue Richardson, who lives in Westmoorings, and whose son attends Holy Name Prep School, Port-of-Spain, said the traffic situation was very frustrating. She said she normally drops off her son just in time for the 7am assembly, but yesterday he arrived at school just after 8 am.
Some protesters, who shouted obscenities and with arms flailing, accused the Government of being underhanded by not consulting with them before any decision was taken. One of the protesters, Ricardo Herbert, said residents had no choice but to take action. “Some 30,000 households would be affected,” he said. “There are also two hospitals in the area and the Lady Hochoy Home, which would also be affected, a lot of business on the left and the right. “We ask that it not be blocked off. This is a safe turnoff. It has been here since 1963, when the highway was built.
He explained that blocking the turnoff meant a long drive for those who needed to turn east. “What they do now is taking us all the way down to Four Roads (Diego Martin), which is a mile down and a mile up, and now we have to endure the traffic both on a morning and on an evening to go in and out of our homes,” Herbert said. The residents, however, praised National Security Minister Gary Griffith who they said was instrumental in the reopening of the roadway.
Authorities respond
National Security Minister Gary Griffith, who arrived just after the protest began, said no unlawful act would be condoned. He said: “I listened very carefully to what the residents had to say and some of them were very passionate in their views. But blocking the road and preventing hundreds of other drivers is not the answer and I made that very clear, apart from which, there may be people with medical issues who were caught in the traffic.” He said: “Citizens should not resort to taking the law into their own hands. This sort of action is tantamount to disrespect and could have dire consequences.”
Acting Senior Supt Ishmael David said police spoke to residents and listened to their concerns. He said as far as he was aware there had been “no major accidents” in that immediate area.
Griffith said the concerns of the residents were legitimate as well as concerns of national security. Minister of Works and Infrastructure Suruj Rambachan said the decision to block the turnoff came from a safety concern. Saying he hoped people would have given it at least a couple of days, Rambachan said: “When you do these traffic changes, you do it with objectives in mind and one of those objectives is to improve the whole safety situation by that turn.
MP: People Upset
In an e-mailed response Dr Amery Browne, MP for Diego Martin Central, said on Saturday the ministry completely closed off the highway, just a few hours after street signs were erected telling drivers they could not use that turnabout. Browne said he and the councillor for Petit Valley/Cocorite, Roxanne Long, had strongly disagree with the way this change was effected, as the Ministry of Works initiated no specific meeting or discussion with the most affected residents on the impact the measure would have on them and their families. “These same residents accommodated and adjusted to a range of changes over the past few months in order to facilitate the improvement of the highway and roadway system in the area,” he said, “but are of the view that this weekends’s closure introduces an unacceptable degree of challenge to their activities of daily living.
He said they were worried that the change would increase their transport costs and travel time, lead to emergency vehicles taking longer to arrive, and that it meant they now had to go further west or north to get home and to pass through areas with more traffic. Browne called on the Government to hold specific discussions with those affected by the closure, including representatives of the taxi drivers.