Gov’t planning for roadworks disruption

A traffic management committee has been set up to craft a plan to deal with the disruptions expected to accompany major road works set to begin early next year.
Work is expected to begin on the Sir George Walter Highway and the Friar’s Hill Road during the first quarter and run for 20 months.
A release from the works and housing ministry states that approximately 40,000 vehicles utilise the two roads on a daily basis.
 “You can expect that with the implementation phase or phases of the road rehabilitation project that a number of people, that would be pedestrians and drivers, will be sort of displaced and so it is important for us to develop a strategic plan as to how we will be rerouting the traffic and really getting people aware to what will be happening,” said Shawn Thomas, the ministry’s spokesman.
A mass media sensitisation programme will be launched as part of the plan.
The road project is being financed by a grant of some 13.9 million pounds sterling from the United Kingdom Caribbean Infra-structure Partnership Fund with a commitment of U.S. $11,000 from the Antigua and Barbuda government. The U.K.’s Department for International Development and the Caribbean Development Bank are the other partners in the project.