Please deal with this interchange!

THE EDITOR: The decision to improve the traffic conditions in preparation for the controversial interchange at the Uriah Butler and Churchill Rosevelt Highways is sound planning.

To satisfy this condition, there is need for road improvement in all directions to facilitate the expected flow of traffic before the implementation of the interchange. Without this requirement, traffic congestion will always remain a problem to the users. Brown Engineers, Road Consultants to Government, provided a 20-year development plan for the East-West corridor to Chaguaramas in the early seventies of the last century. It included a cloverleaf for the intersection in contention, and a third lane of traffic. I see no reason for anyone to criticise Government. It should be complimented for the initiative; it’s all in the pipeline.

At a glance, the benefit can be seen of the use of the three-lane traffic at the intersection. There is no delay for the North and South-bound traffic; it can now filter into the third lane provided, avoiding the light that causes delays in getting to work during the morning rush hours. In the final analysis, the bottle-neck approach at the end of the three-lane traffic on entering Port-of-Spain must be solved before giving way to the interchange.

This is an ideal situation that calls for an elevated freeway that will overcome the traffic delays caused by lights close to each other along the Wrightson Main Road. It can follow the course of the median strip if so desired. But consideration should be given to a Monorail System of public transportation in which cars ride on a single rail elevated above the ground traffic in opposite directions, supported on pylons or any suitable structures, using the median strip to full advantage. It does not require the purchase of land.

Any government in power tries to score political points. The interchange is a case in point. Sometimes it pays off and other times found to be disastrous. For example, the enquiry into the high construction cost of the Piarco Airport Terminal Building; the construction flaw of the Biche High School; the ridiculous cost of resurfacing roads and other questionable decisions. This cannot be deemed a success. The UNC now lies on the fault line. Look for honest people with clean hands in order to govern. A government must be strong and firm in carrying out the works entrusted to them and be prepared to rule in the midst of enemies. The campaign of “Civil Disobedience” clearly indicates that the United National Congress can no longer function effectively as an alternative government.

W   CRAIGWELL
Valsayn