Part 2
For more than seven years the Highway Re-route Movement (HRM) has put up a brave fight to stop the Debe to Mon Desir segment of the $7.5 billion Solomon Hochoy Highway Extension project.Among the concerns raised by the HRM were the severing of communities, destruction of the environment and permanent flooding in the Oropouche Lagoon. The HRM recommended upgrades to existing roads instead of displacing communities.
However, deputy political leader of the UNC and MP for Oropouche East Dr Roodal Moonilal said the highway was desperately needed as the Government was creating new economic growth poles in the south western region through the construction of the UWI law campus, E-teck parks and the Penal Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre in Clarke Road. He said the highway was geared at improving access to these areas, whilst reducing traffic congestion and travel time.
A report on the Mon Desir segment of the highway submitted by officials of the National Infrastructure Development Company (Nidco) in June 13, 2012, gives a detailed rationale for the project. Dubbed the largest and most complex infrastructure development project in the history of T&T, the Solomon Hochoy Highway Extension involves the design and construction of 47km of four-lane dual carriageway and 2.5 km of a two-lane roadway to be built over a four-year period.
In Part Two of this Sunday Guardian series, detailed explanations will be given for three of the HRM's concerns–traffic congestion, severing of communities and permanent flooding in the Oropouche Basin.
Traffic congestion
Nidco officials said a recommendation from the HRM to upgrade existing local roads raises serious concerns of further traffic congestion. "Traffic will be exacerbated with the imminent construction of the South UWI campus to Debe, the development of the industrial parks through e-Teck and the new hospital to be built in Penal. These facilities will generate additional traffic," the report said.
In a study titled Traffic Volumes and Operational Analysis Report dated March 2012, experts stated that the traffic volume at the Debe Intersection of the SS Erin Road and the M2 Ring Road is almost 20,000 vehicles per day. This figure is expected to increase to approximately 30,000 vehicles per day by 2030 in both directions.
Nidco stated that a feasibility study conducted by Lea-Trintoplan in 2008 revealed the capacity of a single-lane highway in the region under free flow conditions would be 1,250 vehicles per hour. From the breakdown, Nidco stated that it would not be feasible to upgrade existing roads as this would not reduce traffic congestion, as recommended by HRM.
"Without construction of a four-lane highway in the region, traffic will not be reduced. A preliminary traffic analysis suggests that without a new highway the average travel time between Debe to Penal will increase from 30 minutes to 45 minutes and the average travel time between Penal to Siparia will increase from 35 minutes to 50 minutes," Nidco report stated.
Severing of communities
Nidco said attempts are being made to relocate entire communities. Two hundred acres of land have been prepared at the Petit Morne Estate in Ste Madeleine for displaced families."Most of the major infrastructure is in place at the sites that have been allocated for the relocation of residents at Petit Morne. These sites are currently being developed by the Ministry.
Government has decided to acquire properties that are on the Right-of-Way (Row) of the highway, under the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act. In addition, Nidco has been authorised to procure properties by private treaty, wherever possible. Residents who occupy properties within the optimised Row will be relocated to other sites.
Each household will be entitled to purchase a 5,000 sq ft plot at Petit Morne at the highly subsidised price of $50,000. Residents with squatter status will be relocated to Cedar Hill, where they may purchase plots at the same subsidised price. Farmers will be relocated to lands approved for farming at Golconda," the Nidco Web site stated.
With regard to claims by HRM activists that displaced families were not being properly compensated, Nidco said, "Care is taken to ensure that the final settlement for each parcel of land acquired is fair and the process is transparent. All claimants are entitled to choose their own professional valuers to negotiate on their behalf with Nidco in order to arrive at an agreed settlement, based on prevailing market values.
"Home owners living on private lands legitimately will receive fair market value replacement costs for their structures and the land. In addition, they will be compensated for disturbance, related professional fees (surveyors, valuers, etc), and dependant on the urgency of having the lands clear of structures, Nidco will offer an incentive to the owner to relocate within one month (payment of residential rental at a suitable property for up to one year, moving assistance, moving truck etc)."
Nidco also said payment for house acquisition is made in two instalments: A first payment of approximately 80 per cent, after which the claimant is required to vacate the property within three months. The remaining 20 per cent is paid upon conveyance of the property."
Environmental concerns,permanent flooding
Former works minister Emmanuel George denied in an interview last year that the Debe to Mon Desir segment of the highway would cause permanent flooding in the Oropouche Basin. He said that the highway does not cut into the Oropouche mangroves.
During an aerial tour of the proposed segment in December 2012, Nidco Senior project manager Earl Wilson said Petrotrin had already started capping oilwells to facilitate the highway, but he said this would not cause negative environmental impact as they were non-productive wells.
He said Nidco had paid $50 million to Petrotrin to cap oilwells which were in the path of the highway. He said there were 39 wells to be capped and Petrotrin had already started the process so that the third phase of the highway could begin from the Mon Desir Interchange to the Dunlop Roundabout."Out of these 39 wells we have only four producing less than 50 barrels per day. Most of these wells are old and cannot rejuvenate," Wilson explained.
Nidco's chairman Dr Carsen Charles boasted that international engineers were hired to execute the project, part of which will be built on "sapatah clay" which expands when water soaked.Nidco's June 2012 report stated that the Ministry of Works and Nidco were making every effort to mitigate flooding oncerns by studying and implementing a plan for mitigating flooding in the entire South Oropouche River Basin.
"This will be done by ensuring that increased run off due to the highway structure is addressed using adequate flood alleviation measures in accordance with international design standards."The report said preliminary analysis of OAS's drainage design shows that OAS was taking flood alleviation measures to ensure that the upstream flow is controlled and mitigated. The measures include the use of multiple culverts, ditches, detention ponds, outfall controls and erosion controls.
In Nidco's 2012 report, a list of integral benefits were cited.Some of the benefits include:-
�2 Reduction of traffic congestion
�2 Reduction in travel distances created by direct routes and increased travel speeds
�2 Provision of a safe, efficient, affordable and asthetically pleasing highway for all citizens
�2 Provision of improved access to Siparia, La Brea and Point Fortin to accommodate the anticipated economic growth
�2 Improvement of local road network in the south west region
�2 Efficient movement of goods to and from ports within the Gulf of Paria
�2 Promotion of downstream products poised to stimulate the transportation industry, service contractors and small entrepreneurs who provide food and other ancillary products
�2 Increased employment. OAS Constructura must utilise a minimum of 40 per cent of local inputs which include skilled and unskilled
labour, as well as materials, equipment and suppliers.
�2 Transfer of technology to the local construction industry.
NEXT WEEK: We interviewed Dr Wayne Kublalsingh, who says the Government has a flawed certificate from the EMA and argues for a cost-benefit analysis to justify the community disruption that would come with a Debe-Mon Desir Highway.