New Curepe traffic plan in effect from today

A new traffic plan to facilitate the construction of the Curepe interchange was to go into effect at the end of the peak hours of traffic on Monday.

That was the word from Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan yesterday.

He said: “My understanding is that the final touches were being put in place for the start of the new traffic plan to be implemented. Originally we were looking at starting between noon and 2 pm yesterday, but we scrapped that idea, and we will start at the end of the peak hours of traffic this evening.”

Until now work on the interchange has caused traffic congestion in the area.

Asked if the completion of the project by the scheduled date of July 17 was realistic, Sinanan said no, because the project was started later than expected owing to delays in the start of the contract.

He said instead: “We are hoping by the end of the year the interchange will be completed. Remember, we only turned the sod for it six months ago.”

He added: “Some of the roads we are using now are actually part of the new construction, but the bridges and everything else will be finished by the end of December.”

Earlier, in a TBC radio interview yesterday morning, Sinanan said the time spent in traffic, thanks to the interchange, will be significantly reduced. Once it is completed, he said, his ministry will go on to the next interchange and soon enough, there will be no traffic lights from Port of Spain to Sangre Grande, just as there are none from Port of Spain to San Fernando.

He also said government has access to all the land needed for the interchange project at its current stage, but noted government needs to complete soon the acquisition of properties needed for the entire interchange project.