Elmina Clarke Allen Highway Opens

Описание: Commuters traversing between Cumuto and Sangre Grande can now do so with ease following the official commissioning of the Elmina Clarke-Allen Highway.

At a cost of $500 million, the newly constructed highway marks the completion of Phase 1 of the Churchill Roosevelt Highway Extension to Manzanilla Project.

Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan said the highway is the culmination of an idea which began in the 1950s when the train system was stopped.

"There were a lot of challenges to get this highway going. It was three packages. First phase: joining the CRH to this package, which is the second, and then we have the third phase, where this ends to enter the town of Sangre Grande and then to join with the Toco Road. Unfortunately, we did not have all the approvals, the statutory approvals, but we were able to get this one for this phase."

Delivering the feature address at the commissioning ceremony, Prime Minister Stuart Young said the state-of-the-art highway forms part of the government’s developmental plans for the northeastern peninsula of Trinidad and the connection between Trinidad and Tobago.

He compared the tenure of the People's National Movement to that of the United National Congress and reminded the public of the PNM’s ability to complete, at a lower cost, the projects started under the UNC.

"There were a lot of people who tried to stand in the way of progress by this government as we wanted to ensure that this northeastern peninsula, this northeastern part of Trinidad, got its fair share. I am happy that today we can stand here based on the vision of the previous Prime Minister, Dr. Rowley, and the cabinet with me delivering it to you, Toco/Sangre Grande. You deserve this, and I stand here today to let everyone in Trinidad and Tobago know that the government I lead and that I will continue to lead come the 29th of April will ensure, will ensure that everyone gets their fair share."

He also boasted of the completion of this project, which he said was scandal-free.

"A state-of-the-art highway that is immediately going to uplift this part of Trinidad without any allegations of corruption and also through what we call a virgin territory and that deserves a round of applause."

The highway is named after a former Minister in the Ministry of Housing and Toco/Manzanilla Member of Parliament who served in government between 1976 and 1986.