A family of squatters, who blocked the completion of the Southern Main Road upgrade for three months, have finally been removed making way for the roadworks to be completed this week, says Works Minister Surujrattan Rambachan. In an interview yesterday Rambachan said work on phase 2 of the project would resume today.
Over the weekend, excavators broke down the wooden structure on Saturday leaving a pile of debris at the site, which fell smack in the middle of the east-bound lanes of the new roadway, near Railway Bar. The move to relocate the squatters came after lengthy negotiations between the Works Ministry and four families who have been living on the land.
The upgrade was done in three phases but while phase one and three were completed since last year, phase two came to an abrupt halt when four squatting families refused to leave their houses. “We were trying to be very co-operative and they were holding back development,” Rambachan said. “We have reconstructed houses for them and some still refused to move,” the minister said.
Rambachan said the ministry had been focused on projects to alleviate traffic and recently completed the Valencia bypass, the Preysal roundabout and the expansion of the Diego Martin highway. He said the next step would be to upgrade the road between the Caroni South Bank Road and St Helena to further alleviate traffic.
The second phase of the main road in Caroni, which was being constructed by Coosals construction company, came to an abrupt halt last year when a group of families situated on the path of the highway refused to move. Most of them had been living on the land for over 10 years. Lynette Ragbirsingh, lived on the land for the past 11 years. “We were illegal on the land. We were squatting on the land. We didn’t have a choice,” Ragbirsingh said.
Ragbirsingh and her children moved off the site before Christmas. Coosals built temporary houses less than 100 feet away from the roadway. The houses are located between the Southern Main Road and the new roadway. Ragbirsingh, though accepting that the move was necessary, said she was disappointed that the ministry had not ensured that her family had electricity and water.
Her sister Kamla Rampersad, who also lived on the land, refused to move until Saturday because she didn’t have electricity.
About the project
The upgrade cost $100 million and was expected to be completed by the end of February. Three contractors— Junior Sammy Construction Company (Jusamco), Coosal’s Construction Company, and Super Industrial Services (SIS)—worked on the project, which was divided into three phases. The development coincides with the construction of the new Motor Vehicle Authority, which was constructed at the old Caroni Rum Distillery, near the Caroni Police Station.
The project created a parallel road to the existing Old Southern Main Road, from the Caroni Bridge to Washington Junction. Two roundabouts were built near the MVA and at Washington Junction. In December last year, Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner supported residents in a protest over several issues related to the new road.
He said then there was no easy access for residents to get into and out their villages, like Frederick Settlement, to the road, which looked like a highway and divided by a concrete median. He also said there was no pedestrian crossings, no traffic lights, no walkovers. Since then, a series of traffic lights have been installed, crossing paths and T&TEC are now installing street lights. Pavements and merging lanes have also been constructed at Frederick Settlement.