Interchanges not theway to go at this time

THE EDITOR: The designers, planners and transportation experts have recommended that the Government constructs an interchange at the intersection of the Southern Main Road (Curepe) and the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway at a tender price of more than $400 million.

In the list of reasons given for building this expensive structure for flow-through traffic, it was noted that one of the ten or so reasons was the pollution caused by traffic waiting to cross the highway.

Someone from the Ministry of Works should take a second look at the reasons for spending $400 million of taxpayers’ money to ease traffic.

It is said that over 22 properties are to be acquired, adding to the already high cost. Designs should be proposed that minimise costly property acquisitions and high-price flyovers.

It has been noted in the developed countries in Europe and in North America that major interchanges are constructed where major highways intersect and places where highways can be redirected in other directions.

In the case of the Churchill-Roosevelt-Southern Main Road intersection, it must be noted that the SMR is a secondary road which hardly classifies as a major highway.

In North America where a secondary road and highway meet, the highway is elevated and the secondary road is lowered. The traffic on the highway flows unimpeded and the traffic on the secondary road moves according to traffic lights and bypass roads.

Check out the Debe section of the highway to Point Fortin where roundabouts were constructed, making the flow of traffic easy and fast.

This means that a major interchange is not required, thus a much lower cost of dealing with the intersection of a highway and a secondary road.

In addition, the Government will not have to acquire large amounts properties to build these interchanges. If one is to accept that interchanges are required along the CR Highway, then the cost of will be in the billions of dollars – UWI interchange, Macoya interchange, Trincity interchange, Piarco interchange, Wallerfield interchange, to name a few.

The designers and the planners must go back to the drawing board and give the people a cost-effective solution. We should not be paying such a high price since there are less costlier solutions to achieve the same objectives.

The Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister should demand a better deal for interchanges along the CR Highway.

K RAMRATTAN

via e-mail