Sinanan: Highways bring opportunities

WORKS and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan has said the construction of new highways brings opportunities for prosperity for people and the country as a whole.

He made this statement on Tuesday as he opened debate in the Senate on a motion to approve President Christine Kangaloo's decision on the acquisition of land for the construction of the Churchill Roosevelt Highway Extension to Manzanilla Phase One from Cumuto Junction to Toco Main Road, Chainage.

The motion covers 32 parcels of land in the Guaico/Tamana area.

The House of Representatives passed this motion when it sat on April 26. The Senate passed the motion as well.

Sinanan said, "This construction project started under the duration of my tenure (as minister) and it is a reflection of the integrity of this government."

Why extend the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway from Cumuto to Toco as the first phase of the extension that will end in Sangre Grande?

Sinanan said, "The land mass on the eastern peninsula of Trinidad is almost one-third of TT."

But there is no highway in this area to open up this part of the country to the rest of the population.

Sinanan said a highway brings prosperity to a community. This was reflected in better standards of living, health care, better public utilities and greater opportunities for people in the communities it passes through.

Sinanan said in a critical look at the eastern side of Trinidad, one would see "the lowest (number) of registered businesses in Trinidad."

He added, "More than 60 per cent of the working population (in Eastern Trinidad) works for minimum wage."

A highway from Wallerfield to Sangre Grande built under the PNM, he said, "has already started to bring greater opportunities for the people of the area."

This includes the construction of two shopping malls in the area. A third mall will soon be built.

Sinanan said, "So commerce in these areas has already started to show signs that once access to the eastern quadrant (of Trinidad) is made available, the private sector is willing to develop the communities."

The people of Eastern Trinidad, he continued, "are very happy for these new routes."

Government senators thumped their desks when Sinanan said Government has received kudos from the public after experiencing "the drive on the Valencia to Toco Road.

"The comments that I am getting (from the public) is that it is one of the best stretches of road network in the country."

He promised to "take this standard (of infrastructure development) throughout TT."

He said the motion proposes to vest land for the highway in the State "even before the highway is completed," which was unprecedented, but there were benefits to doing this.

"There are many highways in Trinidad that have been built and up to now, the land (on which they were built) has not been vested in the State."

Sinanan said this creates situations where people go back on that land, "stay for a period of time and then claim the rights to the land."

He added that all statutory requirements to build the highway extension "were in hand before one shovel (of dirt) was turned (to start construction)."

Sinanan said among the approvals obtained by the ministry were those from the relevant local government corporations.