AN ESTIMATED $43.5 million road construction project to ease traffic in and around the Warrens, St Michael area is slated to commence next week.
In fact, Minister of Transport and Works John Boyce assured a room full of residents during a town hall meeting at the Queen’s College auditorium on Tuesday night that things were already in place for the start of the Greater Warrens Traffic Safety Improvement Project.
“This project will be carried out in two phases over a period of about three years with Phase 2 addressing the anticipated future growth within the area. The estimated cost, excluding that of land which will have to be acquired, is $43.5 million – inclusive of VAT, of course, calculated at the current rate.
“The Cabinet of Barbados had agreed that financing for the project will be spread over three fiscal years utilising the normal budgetary process as we allow for the yearly allocations in our estimates.
“A steering committee has been established in the Ministry of Transport and Works, and this committee includes officials from C.O. Williams Construction Limited, Professional Engineering Services Limited, the Ministry of Finance, the Town and Country Development Planning Office and the Ministry of Housing, Lands, Rural and Urban Development. The detailed design has been completed and you would shortly have an opportunity to view the details of this project,” added Boyce.
He said it was anticipated that the project would not only reduce the current traffic congestion in the Warrens area to “reasonable levels” but would also reduce travel times and trip delay times for both internal and through traffic.
“The area is now a highly developed town centre and is experiencing significant [traffic] congestion at peak time and also generally . . . It is therefore essential for us to rectify the problems which now exist and make sure we plan effectively for future development,” he said, noting that the project would provide jobs for more than 300 people.
Residents were given the opportunity, through a slide presentation, to view plans showing the areas where work is expected to be carried out and to get an idea as to how the landscape would look afterwards.
When the project is completed there will be six new roundabouts. Some roads will be widened and others changed to one-way use.
