In late 1994, the then management of the Chaguaramas Development Authority drew up proposals for a avenue for all with free zone status for visitors/tourists. The concept was based on various types of research, including visits to some major boardwalk entertainment areas in Florida, Baltimore, Boston and San Francisco to view similar operational types. The plan was to develop the project in phases. Phase one envisaged a boardwalk starting at the entrance to Chag along the seafront past the kayak centre to the edge of Williams Bay. There were to have been three or four small fishing jetties in front of the boardwalk to allow for pleasure fishing.
At the rear of the walk a feeder road would have provided access to the various shops and boutiques for the owner/operators of said outlets. Allowance was made for adequate parking in the paved area near the kayak centre and partially behind the boardwalk. The grassy area at the north of the kayak facility was to be developed as a small restful botanical garden. The Western Main Road would have been closed at the bend leading to Williams Bay and continued on the old Macqueripe Road, linking up with the present road to Macqueripe. Access to western Chaguaramas would have been on an expanded Airways Road. (Interestingly, this concept was incorporated into the Canadian tourism study carried out for the UNC Government at that time.)
Accessing the frontage areas such as Pier 1, Pier 2, Chagville etc would have been provided by feeder roads supported by more than adequate pay-for-parking spaces. The farmers would have had suitable acreages based on advice from the Ministry of Agriculture. The area after the Cuesa River bridge and continuing on what was the Western Main Road would have been converted into a shopping/entertainment avenue along the lines of Sabana Grande in Caracas. No vehicular traffic would have been permitted on the avenue. This section of the boardwalk would have ended at the entrance to the heliport. Once again access would have been feeder roads leading to pay-for-parking areas. Chagville beach would have been resanded and upgraded. The old gymnasium currently in use by the Defence Force was to be returned to its former use: bowling alleys, gymnasium etc.
Recognising that any major development on the peninsula requires improved access to the area, the management team entered into discussions with a California group who expressed interest in financing, building and operating a causeway from the foreshore to Chaguaramas. Payment for same would have come partially from usage tolls but primarily from lease agreements for land developed at the various land reclamation points at the causeway footings. Regrettably, with changes in government and boards, the top management personnel were replaced with the usual "jobs for the boys" philosophy, and the project was never followed up and got lost with new executive faces.
Ian Gianetti
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