Subscribe for notification
Categories: News

NEVER-ENDING SCANDAL OF HOCHOY HIGHWAY EXPANSION

THERE is a Ministry of Works and Transport public sign that proclaims the completion date for the $65 million Solomon Highway expansion as August 2024.

Six months after the promised end of construction, the Ministry casually announced the project was merely 70 per cent complete.

The incomplete roadwork is a source of dire frustration for motorists because the aggravation of construction equipment blocking a lane adds to the usual grind on the crowded highway.

In reporting the Ministry’s statement, a media house said commuters “may be relieved to know” the highway widening venture is at that stage of completion.

Surely, the media agency did not consult the tens of thousands who endure additional misery of miles-long traffic snarls, leading to a further blow to national productivity.

The impact is felt even in deep southern communities, with the head of the Fyzabad Chamber recently saying some commuters spend up to five hours daily in traffic gridlock.

Works Minister Rohan Sinanan launched the project in January 2024, and he and his sidekick Richie Sookhai promised to meet the stipulated completion date.

Then came the delays – and excuses.

First, there were quality control issues.

“You have to bring in your material (and) we have to test it in the lab,” Sinanan said.

But that measure did not avert engineering issues, which disrupted construction.

Then, the minister blamed the rainy season – “everything has to do with the weather” – maybe unmindful in his planning that there are heavy showers in the latter months of the year.

While motorists endure the daily pain, Sinanan and Sidekick make routine site visits looking pious for the cameras and giving earnest assurances.

“We understand your concerns,” the ministry said in a recent statement.

If the officials appreciated the agony of languishing in daily traffic congestion, they would have ensured on-time completion.

And the project only covers a fraction of one of Trinidad and Tobago’s overworked roadways.

You must hit the highway at 5 a.m. if you want to make it to work in north Trinidad for 8 a.m.

Then there is the afternoon drive-time drama.

Consider the alarming impact on physical and mental health, family life, productivity, and vehicle wear-and-tear.

The average T&T commuter spends 33 days – more than a month – in traffic jams, according to a study by a United Nations agency.

This is a vivid illustration of the government’s gross inefficiency.

Several other important road projects are laid up by poor planning and execution and funding logjams.

The government’s chronic inability to deliver is coupled with the fact that the urban-centric regime is generally callous concerning social and economic circumstances in outlying communities.

A remarkable irony is that Sookhai is currently campaigning to convince Chaguanas East voters that he is a delivery guy who deserves to be elected to national office.

He must be held directly responsible for the Hochoy Highway delay scandal.

The slow-moving project must stand as a testament to the government’s ineptitude.

As for commuters, they must prepare for further distress and more creative excuses.

Ken Ali

Recent Posts

EDUCATION IN CRISIS

TEN years after Trinidad and Tobago’s education system reached its highest-ever standard, the World Bank…

5 months ago

ROWLEY’S 10 DISASTROUS YEAR

“LET’S rescue our country,” Dr. Keith Rowley told Trinidad and Tobago 10 years ago.

5 months ago

STUART YOUNG’S SOCIAL MEDIA POLITICS

TODAY’S headline news about Stuart Young’s touted legislative reform on social media is a cocktail…

5 months ago

PETROTRIN-OANDO IS ANOTHER NIQUAN DEAL

FOR several troubling reasons, the Petrotrin-Oando deal is shaping into another billion-dollar Niquan scandal.

5 months ago

T&T SET TO LOSE CASE AGAINST US GUN MAKERS

The US Supreme Court is set to rule against Trinidad and Tobago, several other Caribbean…

5 months ago

PNM PREPARES FOR APRIL POLL

THE ruling PNM is preparing its troops for an April general election.

5 months ago