Highway traffic to get worse | News Extra

Traffic in the southern suburbs is expected to deteriorate in the coming days as a number of events in the central area are likely to worsen congestion caused by the delay of the highway widening project between the Chaguanas flyover and Chase Village.

In a social media post yesterday, one user said southbound commuters should “prepare for the worst road conditions on record” over the next two weeks.

This, he said, will be the result of two events in Endeavor, Chaguanas, which will increase the daily traffic experienced by travelers.

The two events are Diwali Nagar, which starts today and will continue until October 30 at the Diwali Nagar ground on Narsalu Ramaya Marg Road, Chaguanas, and the Suarez Brothers Circus, which runs from October 18 to 27 near the Medford gas station, it has been added.

“And I’m sure no one has a traffic plan because no one is asking how they can serve citizens better. Good luck there. We are on our own as usual,” the message continued.

In response to the post, many commenters highlighted the government’s failure to develop a plan to address the traffic problems faced by commuters.

One commenter said: “That and the traffic wardens. No plan, just development all over the place, with no consideration for people who just want to get to work or go home.”

“Who should we complain about constant traffic jams and absolutely nothing is being done, no plans, no thoughts, no ideas. Living in Chaguanas is a complete nightmare, but the authorities are silent! The area is growing rapidly, but is the infrastructure developing along with it? When was the last time a new street was built? Or is the route redirected? Or a one way street? another added.

Last Wednesday, National Council of Indian Culture (NCIC) president Deorup Timal told the Express that managing the traffic situation during Diwali Nagar was often a major challenge when planning the annual celebration. However, Timal said the organization continues to collaborate with the Central Division police to ease the traffic situation.

“Our planning begins long before the event. In fact, we never stop planning for Diwali Nagar. Last year we had some improvements in the traffic situation and we hope that we can maintain it this year,” he added.

In August 2024, Program for Road Improvements (PURE) director Hayden Phillip told the Express newspaper that the project would not be completed before Christmas. Philip said the delay was due to insufficient time to complete the work.

The road work, touted as the first phase of the highway widening from Chaguanas to San Fernando, began on January 2, 2024 and includes a third lane on both sides of Solomon Hochoy Highway from Bhagwansingh’s Hardware, Chaguanas, to Chase Village Overpass. It was originally scheduled to be completed by August 24, 2024.

With the project delayed, commuters said traffic jams during morning and afternoon rush hours continue to impact commuters between Gasparillo and Chaguanas.