Minister of Works and Transport, Rohan Sinanan and Minister in the office of the ministry of works Richie Sookhai, along with a technical team from the Highways Division and the Traffic Management Branch visited ongoing works at the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway southbound lane in the vicinity of Claxton Bay on Sunday.
The Ministry’s team were on-site to assess the works in progress to the repair of a major landslip along the highway.
Temporary shoring works have been completed for the repair of the landslide with a permanent solution to be undertaken shortly.
Members of the public are advised that a temporary traffic diversion has been created and will be open today to ensure continued access and connectivity to the motorists and the commuting public. Persons are advised to proceed with caution and observe all signage.
Sinanan said the highway slippage issue originated in 2014 when the retaining wall failure caused the entire highway to shift. He said the temporary measures currently in place, costing around $2.5 million, were an extension of the third lane of the highway.
“One of the challenges we have on the highway is there are just two lanes. We’re coming off the interchange from four lanes, two on top and two underneath. As you approach the bridge, you come down to two lanes. If one vehicle has a problem, then you have one lane,” Sinanan said.
Sinanan said there has not been increased demand for the water taxi during the highway roadworks, as that service operates during peak periods and is not extensively utilised otherwise.
“This temporary (solution) is for a few days. By tomorrow, we will have an extra lane. We will start the permanent solution to reinstate the highway and extend the highway to two more lanes,” he said.