Business supports Interchange

After a meeting with Canadian consultants for the project, Cansult, and works ministry engineers at his London Street office last week, Imbert said a final design for the interchange had been chosen and the project will begin in December. Imbert said the final design would be as "cost-effective as possible," would be fine-tuned and presented to the media and other stakeholders in August.

TTMA president Paul Quesnel told Newsday that his organisation (which has been one of several business groups leading the call for (improvements in TT’s transportation system) was pleased that "at long last" the interchange would be built.

Quesnel said the TTMA welcomed any improvements in the national transportation system but the interchange by itself could not solve the country’s traffic problems.

He recalled that former works and transport minister Franklin Khan often said there would have to be simultaneous upgrades of other road systems for the interchange to be effective and said the TTMA was eagerly awaiting the start of those works as well.

SJBA president Gail Merhair said her organisation was also happy to hear Imbert’s assurances that the interchange would be built.

Merhair said its construction was long overdue and would go a long way towards easing the perennial traffic congestion along the nation’s highways.

She added that the SJBA was looking forward to additional details about the project, especially next month’s public presentation by the Ministry of Works and Transport.

The idea of the interchange was first raised by the former UNC government, but shelved when the PNM came into office in December 2001. Khan revisited the idea as a means to alleviate traffic problems in the country. When contacted yesterday, the former minister said he was happy to see that the interchange project would be starting in December and there was never any question about the project never getting off the ground.

Shortly after Imbert assumed the works and transport portfolio in May, following Khan’s resignation from the Cabinet, he said the interchange was his top priority and not another year would be allowed to pass without work beginning.

Imbert said the project will not be handled by the ministry but tendered out through the National Infrastructure Development Company (NIDCO).

NIDCO chairman David Brash said tenders will soon be issued for the project and the company’s role in the project will be a management one.

NIDCO is one of four limited liability companies formed since February to help Government ministries execute their key Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) projects.

Despite its ongoing problems, Minister in the Ministry of Finance Christine Sahadeo said the Health Ministry was one Government ministry which did not require a limited liability company to assist with its projects due to initiatives being taken by Health Minister John Rahael.