The road map to Point Fortin

A sketch of the route layout showed that it was expected to pass west of the Debe and Penal areas, across the San Francique Road between Siparia Road and S S Erin Road in Penal, and across Siparia Road between Fyzabad Guapo Road and S S Erin Road in Siparia. Only “stop-gap” improvements were recommended for the Southern Main Road between Fyzabad and La Brea. In 1966, the population density in Debe was of the order of 400 to 800 persons per sq km; and, in Penal and Siparia it was 200 to 400 persons per sq km. There were 60, 233 licensed vehicles in TnT in 1966.

The National Transportation Policy Study done in 1983 recommended the widening of the South Trunk Road to four lanes from Dumfries Road to Point Fortin, as road capacity improvement in the region to be implemented by the year 2000, and which is still outstanding. Only road structural improvements were recommended for the S S Erin Road in the following segments:

• Cross-crossing to Wellington Road; and,

• Penal Rock Road to San Francique Road.

In 2000, the population density in Debe/Penal was of the order of 200 to 400 persons per sq km; and, in Siparia it was 50 to 200 persons per sq km. There were 316,163 licensed vehicles in TnT in 2000.

The Comprehensive National Transportation Study 2006, Draft Final Report recommended the following projects in the region in the period 2007 to 2008:

• Solomon Hochoy Highway Extension from Golconda to Debe – This is the initial phase of an eventual extension of the highway to Point Fortin. This is currently in the final design phase, with construction expected to commence in Year 2007. The road will be constructed as a four-lane limited access freeway, and will be a link in the national freeway system.

• Widening of the South Trunk Road, from Dumfries Road to M2 Ring (Paria Suites) — Construction procurement is underway on this project. The road will be constructed to 4-lane major arterial standard with at-grade intersections.

It recommended the following projects in the region in the period 2009 to 2013:

• Solomon Hochoy Highway Extension from Golconda to Point Fortin — Phases II to V consist of the segments from Debe to San Francique Road, and then subsequently to Fyzabad, La Brea, and eventually Point Fortin. The road will be constructed as a four-lane limited access freeway, and will be a link in the national freeway system.

• Widening of the South Trunk Road, from M2 Ring Road to St Mary’s Junction — This is the second phase of the previous project. The road will be constructed to major arterial standard with at-grade intersections. A major part of the project will involve mitigation of the tidal flooding problem at Mosquito Creek.

• Proposed Highway from St. Mary’s Junction, South Oropouche to Solomon Hochoy Highway Extension at Delhi Road — This is part of the south-west peninsula roadway development package providing a link from the upgraded South Trunk Road to the extended freeway.

• La Brea Connector Road —This proposed four-lane arterial road will link the Solomon Hochoy Highway Extension to La Brea and the planned Union Industrial Estate. The estate will provide part-funding for the construction of this road.

According to the Central Statistical office, 2011 Population and Housing Census Preliminary Count, in 2011, the population density in Debe/Penal is of the order of 371 persons per sq km; and, in Siparia it is 174 persons per sq km. There were 539,692 licensed vehicles in TnT in 2010.

The population density of the region has remained roughly stable despite increases in the population, signifying that more land has been consumed over time. Therefore, road planning for route alignment will be more complicated with unencumbered land space becoming increasing limited.

It appears that the original intention, which continued to be pursued over time was always to have a primary arterial route from San Fernando to Point Fortin with critical connections to the key urban centres of Debe, Penal, Siparia and Fyzabad; and, significant upgrades to the South Trunk Road and the Southern Main Road.

The future urban development of these communities must also consider transportation demand management issues, and a fundamental approach to grappling with their traffic congestion and mobility. More on this later.

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