Signal Hill sewer link project 85% complete

Close to 3,000 homes and businesses are set to benefit from the Signal Hill Sewer Link project.

The project is being undertaken by the THA Division of Settlements, Urban Renewal and Public Utilities in co-operation with the Urban Development Corporation (Udecott) and aims to eliminate the need for onsite cesspit and soakaway systems.

In an interview with Newsday on Tuesday, secretary of the division Clarence Jacob said the project, which he deemed important for the area, is 85 per cent complete.

“Initiating and actioning this project is critical now. We decided to take action to do this project which will eliminate all the issues with regards to sewer in the Signal Hill area,” he said.

Set to benefit are homes in the Signal Hill Housing Development area, the Signal Hill secondary and primary schools, the Information Technology building, the UWI open campus and the Judiciary housing complex.

He noted that for many years, residents and users of the area alike had been complaining about a foul smell in the area.

“By the primary school there was a leak and sewage was running into the roadway. There was an area in the vicinity (that was) always green.

"So now we’re connecting all these affected establishments and connecting it back to the Signal Hill sewer plant at the hospital. Thereafter it would flow into the sewage treatment plant in Scarborough,” he said.

He said as secretary, he was repsonsible for rectifying the issue, as it posed a serious health hazard.

The project began in November 2019 and was expected to be completed in six months, but there were some challenges. The latest, he said, were the covid19 pandemic and consequent lockdown.

"The construction sector was shut during the regulations, persons had to stay home and couldn’t go out to work, so the project was stalled,” he said, adding that work has since resumed and with no schools open in the area, the project is moving full speed ahead.

Apart from laying the sewer main, he said the project also included constructing a lift station and control room, installing plumbing, connecting homes, businesses, and institutions, and backfill, compaction and road restoration.

There have been complaints from the community about the lack of timely information for those who traverse the area frequently. Jacob agreed.

“I’ve even had conversations with Udecott to see how best they can guide drivers, sending the information via the media. But I think it's more a matter of communication...we faulted a bit on managing the traffic. I’ve passed there recently, and we definitely need to manage the traffic better...the signs should be in areas to indicate what is happening, that should have been done. But that happened late. But we are doing that now,” he said.

The project is expected to be completed in another month.