[UPDATED] Hotel wall broken down to let cars pass after Ariapita Road caves in

A SECTION of the perimeter wall at the Cascadia Hotel, on Ariapita Road, St Ann's, was knocked down on Friday to make way for drivers, hours after the road caved in near the entrance of the hotel, at present a state-supervised quarantine facility.

Newsday spoke with a worker at the hotel who described the collapse as a natural disaster, a month after the start of heavy rains. She said the hotel was in discussions with the Ministry of Works and Transport before the collapse, and the ministry is expected to repair the wall once the road is fixed.

Several residents told Newsday the collapse was predictable and happened practically in "slow-mo."

The road finally fell in on Friday, months after signs of disrepair became apparent, with hundreds of residents who live higher up the road and other commuters forced to move in and out on foot, with some leaving their vehicles in unsafe areas.

On Friday an excavator and other equipment were brought to the hotel, where a wall was demolished to make way for cars to pass.

That came after Energy Minister and MP for Port of Spain North/St Ann's West Stuart Young issued a statement on Facebook, saying the matter is being addressed.

"There has been what appears to be a sinkhole road collapse on the Ariapita Road, St Ann's outside Cascadia Hotel," he wrote. "I have spoken to the Minister of Works and Transport and he informed me that the ministry assessed this yesterday and he assured me that they will work on a temporary solution to allow cars to pass. It is hoped that this will be effected by this evening."

Young's comments were of little comfort to residents, who said there should have been a proactive approach rather than a reactive one.

That section of the road had been blocked off with caution tape for about three weeks before it collapsed, forcing drivers to use one lane. Residents said they saw no work being done on it during that time.

Newsday learnt of at least one official request for assistance made by a resident to the councillor for the area, and Young, earlier this month.

The sinkhole is one of several parts of the same road which has threatened to collapse, with other nearby communities of Mt Hololo and Cascade suffering with poor roads.

The river nearby has overflowed with increasing frequency in recent times, owing partly to improper dumping of trash, rocks, tree trunks and branches. Landslips have also contributed to the river overflowing.

On resident of Upper Ariapita Road told Newsday, "We are frustrated with the lack of proper representation. The roads, for the last six years I have lived there, have been deplorable, not just potholes but collapsing in different areas...Even last year one pothole turned into a trench so you had to bring your car to a standstill and ease over it."

She also complained of a chronic shortage of water to residents of St Ann's, which Young recently denied.

"(There is) no water sometimes for weeks or months on end. Frequent power outages or surges, so in the pandemic, working from home is impossible, and my washing machine was damaged by a surge in July.

"The area also has inadequate garbage collection, so a lot of garbage overflows into the roadway."

Ariapita Road caves in: Young 'hopes' for temporary solution today

This story has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

AFTER months of warning signs of a complete collapse and numerous complaints by residents to the authorities, a massive stretch of road has finally caved in outside the Cascadia Hotel, on Ariapita Road, St Ann's.

Energy Minister and MP for Port of Spain North/St Ann's West Stuart Young issued a statement on Facebook on Friday shortly after the collapse, saying the matter is being addressed.

"There has been what appears to be a sinkhole road collapse on the Ariapita Road, St Ann's outside Cascadia Hotel," he wrote.

"I have spoken to the Minister of Works and Transport and he informed me that the ministry assessed this yesterday and he assured me that they will work on a temporary solution to allow cars to pass. It is hoped that this will be effected by this evening."

The road is currently impassable and blocked off. Some commuters have parked their cars and walked through in order to leave St Ann's.

That section of the road had been blocked off with caution tape for about three weeks before it collapsed, forcing drivers to use one lane. Residents said they saw no work being done on it during that time.

It is one of several parts of the same road which has threatened to collapse, along with several others in the nearby communities of Mt Hololo and roads in poor condition Cascade.

The river nearby has overflowed with increasing frequency in recent times, owing partly to improper dumping of trash, rocks, tree trunks and branches. Landslips have also contributed to the river overflowing.