Heavy rain and roadwork disrupt Tobago’s Friendship Connector Road

Trinidad and Tobago: A combination of heavy rainfall and road construction works caused a major traffic disruption at the Friendship Connector Road in Tobago. Work in ongoing to construct a roundabout, which has diverted traffic around the site, causing delays for motorists.

According to Chief Secretary Farley Augustine during the reading of the Tobago House Assembly budget on Monday, the roundabout will be named after one of Tobago’s pioneers.

This roundabout will serve as the primary traffic management system for the safe integration of traffic to and from the newly constructed Doctor Winston Murray Boulevard, otherwise called the Friendship Connector Road.

This project is expected to cost $7 million and provide employment for 20 individuals, with completion anticipated within 21 days.

Meanwhile, PDP leader Watson Duke believes that naming the road after Doctor Winston Murray is a disservice. The road itself has encountered controversy, having been halted by the court several times.

The 2.7 dual lane road is also being constructed by California Stucco Company under a build finance arrangement, which has attracted criticism.

According to the reports, he said that all that money is going back to Trinidad as the site has locals employers. He also revealed that if a $17 million goes back to the banks in Trinidad to develop somebody’s neighborhood so why can’t the administration spend that money here among the own local contractors.

The Division of Infrastructure has also added that the phase 1 of the Friendship Connector Road Development project completed in December 2023 showcasing the government’s commitment towards development on the island.

The project is packing ahead at a fast pace, with the 2 km of road from the Canoe Bay end towards Kilgwyn currently being prepared for paving whilst the construction of a bridge is underway.

This major project in Tobago will ease citizens’ commute on the island as it is one of the major roads that allow people to move.