In addition, he said, the Assembly will spend $54 million in a massive road repair and road paving programme involving 32 kilometres and comprising 70 roads by three contractors over the next six months. Melville was speaking at the weekly Post Executive Council Media Briefing at THA’s Administrative Complex.
Melville, who was appointed to DIPU a month ago, said, the shortage of bitumen supplied by the major manufacturer in Trinidad was affecting the programme.
He said the recently opened $6 million Shaw Park roundabout was the start of an initiative to develop Old Milford Road as a parallel artery to the Claude Noel Highway. He added that work will begin in the next two weeks on widening the two culverts in Pascall Village, Lambeau and the Lambeau Bridge in the vicinity of the Abattoir.
Melville said this should take six to seven months while designs for the second Bailey bridge near to the new fishing facilities at Lambeau will be invited. He pointed out that the widened Old Milford Road will be an alternative to the Highway. Most of Old Milford Road run along the scenic Atlantic side of the island.
He said the Division was also going to make adjustments to the intersections along the highway starting with those at Orange Hill and Wilson roads and developing bypass roads starting with Breeze Hall and Smith Field roads. He said the Assembly was having challenges of land acquisition at Smith Field.
He said as a result of the problems experienced over an alternative Jouvert route for Carnival in Roxborough his Division has started a bypass road north of Roxborough from Station Hill to Lammy which should be completed by August.
Repairs to the Bacolet connector road in Scarborough will also be tackled. He said motorists had raised safety concerns about the road because of the wavy surface.
Melville said the Division in collaboration with the Division of Tourism and Transportation will also be engaged in a major signage programme to ensure all roads in the island had good directional signs.
He said the construction of the new Scarborough Library was “slowly but surely” coming to a conclusion for delivery by August while the Shaw Park Cultural Complex was on target to be delivered for a December opening. In addition, he said, rehabilitation of the official residence of the Chief Secretary at Hampden, Lowlands should be completed in April.