Friars Hill Road to be closed

Friars Hill Road, from Cedar Grove main road to the junction of Old Popeshead Road will be closed for 24 hours. The closure from 6 a.m. on Friday February 2 (tomorrow) to 6 a.m. on Saturday February 3, is intended to test how drivers and residents will be affected when the road is closed later in February for major repairs. According to a statement by the Ministry of Works and Housing, the Traffic Management Committee (TMC) will be able to observe how the vehicles on the roads function when the roads are closed.
This will allow the TMC to prepare and plan ahead for when the road is closed for 20 months, to conduct the Road Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project, starting mid-February. A press release by the Ministry of Works and Housing indicated that the project is being sponsored by the United Kingdom Caribbean Infrastructure Partnership Fund (UKCIF) and costs 13.9 million pounds.
According to the press release, the government of Antigua and Barbuda has contributed $11 million to the project and road closure will be conducted by the Project Implementation Management Unit (PIMU). Public relations officer (PRO) of PIMU, Shawn Thomas, said, “The diversion route for phase one of the project will be Marble Hill Road.”
Thomas, urges road users to “be mindful of the fact that a project of this magnitude will result in some amount of traffic congestion.” He is calling on drivers to avoid parking along byroads or main roads when the roads are closed and being worked on.