‘Give me $1B and I will fix all roads’

“IF I GET one billion dollars today, I can guarantee you that all of the roads in Trinidad and Tobago will be paved.” This was the bold statement from Works and Transport Minister Franklyn Khan as he spoke to reporters yesterday, following the commissioning of the Solomon Hochoy Highway extension. With the 2004 budget date yet to be announced, Khan said this figure ($1B) was the amount needed for an upgrade of the nation’s road infrastructural network. The Solomon Hochoy Highway extension runs from Tarouba to Golconda. Khan, who faced a barrage of questions concerning the spate of nationwide protests over deteriorating road conditions, said that in spite of the massive road repair works undertaken by Government, “there were still a few roads in this country that are still in a deplorable condition.”

And, in response to the protest action by Bamboo settlement residents over the change in traffic regulations leading into the community, Khan said that the old traffic regulations would be continued until residents’ concerns had been “properly aired”. He added that St Joseph MP, Gerald Yetming, had also been invited to join in the discussions. “I have put back the status quo at Bamboo settlement until the residents have met with the Traffic management and the Traffic Branch of the Police Service,” he said. He added that a meeting between residents and the Chief Traffic Engineer, together with the Assistant Commissioner of Traffic, had been scheduled for 10 am today at the Port-of-Spain offices of the Ministry of Works and Transport. Khan also sought to “clear up” the misconceptions concerning repairs to the Cunapo Road, Biche, saying that the contents of the letter had been “misinterpreted” by residents and promised that by the end of 2003, residents would see the remaining two thirds of the roadway paved.

Meanwhile in his official address, Khan promised to introduce a “zero-tolerance” policy on structures that infringed on the highway code. He said that these illegal structures “impede” accessibility to the highways and were a general safety hazard to motorists. Khan also made an impassioned plea for a stop to the carnage on the nation’s highways, saying the Ministry would soon institute a massive road safety educational drive. He also revealed that American-style rest stops will also be introduced along the nation’s highways in the coming fiscal year.