Massive traffic pile-up in city

Traffic piled up for several hours along several streets in Port-of-Spain yesterday as a result of the closure of a certain part of Henry and Park Streets. Newsday learnt that the streets were closed off to facilitate the laying of cables by the  Telecommunications Service of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT). Police officers at Traffic Branch said permission had been sought by TSTT to close off the road, and was granted. Officers revealed that police officers were on standby to ensure that the operation went smoothly.

The closure of the streets led to massive traffic congestion, and bitter motorists complained that they should have been informed of the closure. The traffic congestion eventually eased up around 4 pm yesterday. The Downtown Owners and Merchants Association issued a release yesterday advising that the heavy congestion occurred on Henry Street as all traffic proceeding north on Henry Street was forced to turn right on Park Street. Motorists using Duke, Prince and Queen Streets were also affected by the pile-up. Newsday learnt that several business owners complained bitterly of lost business as a result of the congestion. The permit granted to TSTT to close off the streets ended at 5 pm yesterday, but work was still carried out late yesterday.