Sinanan: No more flooding at Mosquito Creek

Drivers should now be able to use the Mosquito Creek segment of the San Fernando to Point Fortin highway during high or spring tides without worrying about the encroaching seawater. Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan opened an elevated section of this segment of the Solomon Hochoy Highway Extension to Point Fortin on Wednesday.

“This probably was the most challenging package, because this Mosquito Creek would have been a problem for the citizens since the 1950s," he said, "where you have the water – the high tide, the spring tide – (which) would have encroached on the mangrove through the roadway. So hopefully that will be a thing of the past now.

“So after 50 years, the residents and users of this road would be able to utilise this segment of it without the saltwater affecting their cars.”He said the partial opening marks a “huge step” in the highway construction, which was initially tendered ten years ago. This section was part of package five, he said, "Which is one of 12 packages that was awarded earlier this year to complete the entire highway from San Fernando to Point Fortin.”

Sinanan said package five, which stretches from Paria Suites to the Godineau Bridge, was expected to cost $280 million and was 40 per cent complete.“Hopefully, we should complete the entire package next year (and) the third quarter next year. And this is a big achievement because there were a lot of question marks about whether we could raise this road to this level because we are actually in the mangrove here.”

The road was elevated by some two metres. Sinanan said there was a defects liability period of two years after the highway is completed and any defects would be repaired by the consultant and contractor. Point Fortin MP Edmund Dillon described the partial opening as a "blessed day" for commuters who had experienced delays caused by flooding. He recalled that drivers would avoid the creek altogether because of floods, which would lead to massive traffic pile-ups along secondary roads.