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Project Engineer, Justin Date (left), shares a word with Westmoreland resident, Ricardo Thompson (centre); and Ministry of Transport, Works and Maintenance Project Manager, Dave Scantlebury, at the end of the Town Hall meeting held to discuss planned changes to the Ronald Mapp Highway (Highway 2A).

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An aerial view of the proposed intersection upgrades for the Ronald Mapp Highway.

Major upgrades for Ronald Mapp Highway

SIX new roundabouts, traffic lights and new street lighting are just some of the major upgrades proposed to enhance the safety of the Ronald Mapp Highway.

A number of residents from surrounding districts made their way to the St. Thomas Parish Church on Monday night to hear from a consultant of the IBI Group from Canada; and DLN Consultants from Barbados, in association with the Ministry of Transport, Works and Maintenance, as they showcased changes to the proposed designs, which were first viewed by the public in October 2018.

In a road safety review of the highway, it was revealed that there were at least five fatalities recorded on the highway in the last ten years; four of which involved pedestrians. There were also head-on collisions and serious collisions in the vicinity of bridges.

The Ronald Mapp Highway Upgrade Engineering Study showcased the major changes earmarked for the section of highway between Bagatelle in St. Thomas and Mile-and-a Quarter in St. Peter. It has a price tag of $60 million with a start date for construction to be determined.

The six roundabouts are proposed in Molyneux Road, Mangrove Road, Portvale Factory, Hayman’s/Black Bess, the Whim/Four Hill and “mini” roundabout at Mile-and-a Quarter.

The upgrades will also include a full repaving of the highway, which extends 12 km from Bagatelle to Mile-and-a- Quarter. It will also include upgrades to the shoulders of the road and some remedial work to some of the bridges with new traffic and pedestrian barriers. Drainage will also be enhanced.

During the meeting, at least four persons made a plea for urgent action to be taken at the Westmoreland junction, which they lamented has already caused three fatalities and countless accidents. They were given the assurance that a new traffic signal is proposed to address serious traffic and pedestrian safety concerns at that location.

In addition, there will be junction upgrades at other existing intersections in the corridor, through the addition of right turn lanes.

Project engineer, Justin Date, noted that while no major changes could be included at this time, he accepted the suggestion that the proposed roundabouts at Molyneux Road and Mangrove Road may be too close and another option could be considered.

Other concerns raised included fears of further traffic congestion as a result of additional roundabouts and traffic lights, with only two lanes of traffic and no means to overtake slow-moving vehicles. It was also suggested that the designs should take into account plans for housing development in the north of the island and the increased traffic flow heading to the south of the island, which would require four lanes.

Officials explained that while motorists are concerned about not being able to move fast enough, they must also take into account the pedestrians (including school children) and cyclists who traverse those roads. It was also noted that the cost to expand the highway to four lanes would be astronomical, as it relates to land acquisition and the impact that it would have on the local utility company’s infrastructure already in place.

Date explained that the stretch of highway will include road markings and cat’s eyes, not only in the centre but also on the edge of the highway.

Outlining next steps, Date said this will include determining the impact to existing properties and how many would have to be acquired to construct some of these roundabouts and other modifications. This would be followed by the construction stage, at dates yet to be determined.

“At this stage we anticipate that construction will take place in four stages, likely starting with Bagatelle in the south to St. Thomas Church. The start of the construction will be pending the completion of the property acquisition and also the funding arrangement between the lending agency the Caribbean Development Bank and the Government of Barbados,” he revealed. (JH)

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