Gricklock fear: Nagar, circus, roadworks prompt emergency meeting

CHAGUANAS Mayor Faaiq Mohammed has convened an emergency meeting with stakeholders to discuss the borough’s traffic management after several major events are expected to occur almost simultaneously for a little over a week, prompting fears of a gridlock.

These are a circus, an annual national cultural celebration, road works and month-end shopping.
Located next to the Fab India Expo along the Endeavour Connector Road is the Suarez Brothers’ Circus. It runs from October 18 to 27, with 7 pm shows during the week and shows at 2 pm, 5 pm and 8 pm on Saturdays and 2 pm and 5 pm on Sundays.

Kicking off just across the highway on the Narsaloo Ramaya Marg Road from October 22 would be the annual Divali Nagar, which draws hundreds of patrons from around the country daily.

While a staple of national celebrations and culture, it is often accompanied by congestion on both the north and southbound lanes of the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway. It will run until October 30.

That means both events will run simultaneously for six days, coming to a head on the weekends when the largest crowds are anticipated.

While this is a recipe for traffic, fears are worsened by the delayed but ongoing works to widen the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway between the Chaguanas Flyover and Chase Village.

Many commuters previously complained this work has been a nightmare with some reporting they see at least an hour added to their daily commutes. That amounts to five hours a week or 20 hours a month of extra commuting.

President of the Chaguanas Chamber of Commerce Baldath Maharaj fears month-end activities at the many nearby shopping and banking establishments would further compound the traffic.

President of the Chaguanas/San Fernando Taxi Drivers’ Association Kevon Philbert said the borough had heavy traffic on Monday and anticipates it would only worsen in the coming days.

He said while the association would wholeheartedly welcome a solution from authorities to alleviate the congestion, he believes they could tough it out.

“It’s something we have to bear with. It’s not like it going to be that long as in two to three months. It’s just a short period of time. Just a few days.”

Responding to questions from Newsday on Monday, mayor Faaiq Mohammed said he hopes to convene a meeting on October 22 with the Ministry of Works’ Traffic Management Division, traffic wardens, the police and the borough’s municipal police “to establish an effective traffic management plan during this festive Divali period.

“Our goal is to prevent motorists from enduring long hours in traffic, particularly during peak times. The plan will involve deploying additional wardens at key points and enhancing the police presence to manage real-time traffic flow.

“Through this collaboration, we aim to minimise delays, ease congestion, and improve the overall driving experience, ensuring smoother, safer commutes throughout our borough during this busy season.”

Similarly, Maharaj said the chamber also attempted to contact the Ministry of Works and Transport for clarity on the management plan and called for an effective one “with clear signage, increased police and traffic wardens’ presence, and designated detours to minimise disruptions.”

He also called for the commuting public to do their part to help reduce congestion in the area.

“As businesses in the area may also be impacted, the chamber encourages commuters to plan their routes carefully and consider alternative paths.

“Despite the potential challenges, with proper co-ordination, these events can bring significant economic benefits to the community, especially SMEs who deal with retail sales.”

Newsday was unable to get a comment from Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan on the matter but speaking in the Senate on Monday afternoon, he said there were some plans to help mitigate congestion stemming from the ongoing works on the highway by halting night construction until after Divali. The holiday is on October 31.

“Some people are complaining that it is taking too long; I find it is taking a little long.
“However, the challenge we have is that you can only work for certain hours during the day. We start the project around 9 am, after the traffic and stop at 2 pm.

“Then sometimes we restart at 9 pm and finish 4 am. If you have to make progress, then you will have to have some sacrifices. I have seen and spoken to my colleague Anil Roberts, who gave me a tongue-lashing, who said I was going to shut down the Nagar and the highway.

“I cleared that up. There is no truth to anything like that. Work will continue from 9 am to 2 pm and we will stop the night work until after Divali. That is the plan for that.”

The $65 million project to widen the highway was initially carded for completion by August 24. Sinanan explained on August 22, the deadline could not be met because quality control standards were not met by one of the contractors, Junior Sammy Contractors Ltd, requiring it to redo some of the work.

He said the work is expected to be completed by the end of 2024, if the weather permits.