Main road collapses in Cedros

SEETA PERSAD

The south western peninsula was literally cut off from the rest of the country this morning as a portion of the Southern Main Road, (SMR) in Coromandel Village in Cedros collapsed.

Buses and other heavy vehicles were stuck on either side of the collapsed portion of the road.

Councillor for the Cedros area, Shankar Teelucksingh told Newsday that thousands of residents as well as businesses were affected as the Southern Main Road was the only access road leading to and from Cedros and other parts of the country.

Commuters on their way to work were unable to do so or arrived late as only cars were able to pass on the shoulder of the damaged road. Some motorists made a detour through Austin Road and Granville road but buses and trucks were unable to use those roads. A burst four-inch WASA main was being blamed for undermining the roadway. Both WASA and the Ministry of Works were working to fix the problem.

Teelucksingh said the road was recently repaired by the Ministry of Works but with the passing of heavy equipment the WASA main broke causing hundreds of gallons of water to gush out and damage the road. The Cedros councillor made a call for corroded water mains in the area to be replaced.

Teelucksingh said in addition to the collapse at Coromandel there were five sunken spots along Chatham that need to be repaired urgently. “The roads in this area need total rebuilding and repaving,” Teelucksingh said. “There is need to widen the roads and also to build proper pavements.”

He added that Cedros had been neglected for many years and the people of the area continued to complain about the effect on their vehicles due to the bad roads.

WASA workmen were on hand fixing the damaged main line while crews from the Ministry of Works were fixing the roadway. The councillor thanked WASA, T&TEC, Ministry of Works as well as the Siparia Regional Corporation for their efforts in getting the road fit for use even as repair work continued.

The road was re-opened shortly before 7 pm on Thursday .