Highway will be like spaghetti thrown on the ground
THE EDITOR: I’ve been advised that four alternative designs for the Valsayn overpass were in October presented to Bamboo Village residents for their comments, and that they rejected them. A fifth design is on the outside front cover of the Chamber’s current Contact magazine. Which one does the government intend pursuing? Is there a sixth? In a subsequent discussion with ex-UNC Minister John Humphrey, he told me that the design on the front cover of Contact, has two levels only — ground level, and one overhead level. He said there is no third level. He declared that "the government, doesn’t have a (final) design. They do not have a clue about how to solve the problem." He said this is supported by the need for two sets of traffic lights for north-south traffic; and the wasteful misuse of land for the sprawling structure," in the Contact design. "What (Minister) Imbert is imposing on the people will not permit free-flowing traffic, minus traffic lights. It will be a labyrinth, not an interchange, looking like spaghetti randomly thrown on the ground." In addition, Humphrey told me, "I’ve been advised that there are attorneys who have offered their services free, to represent Bamboo residents, to injunct the government to prevent them from taking any of their properties," because up to 15 village families will have to be relocated. He explained that the original golden arch would not have affected the movement of existing traffic during construction as there would be no columns below it. Additionally the arch and approaches were confined to the existing road reserves and did not require extra land in producing "an elegant solution — an icon that you can recognise as TT. The only curved suspension bridge in the world for vehicular traffic." (The UK has since built a curved suspension bridge for pedestrians.) Humphrey said 23 engineers were involved in the original design, led by Halcrow of the UK, "one of the world’s leading engineering firms with 3,500 professionals, some knighted. "Halcrow got an award for the Hong Kong suspension bridge — the world’s largest suspension bridge — plus an award for a bridge over the Yangtze River in China." He said the design of the interchange was unanimously approved by Government and by private sector and foreign experts. Estimated cost — $150 million including an overhead walkway linking Bamboo Villages One and Three. The current Government designs do not include such an overhead pedestrian crossing in a cost expected to exceed $150 million. Humphrey added that the existing new bridges over the San Juan and St Joseph Rivers were built in his tenure, to serve the ramps of the proposed interchange. LLOYD CARTAR Westmoorings
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"Highway will be like spaghetti thrown on the ground"