Next Tuesday as you make your way into the capital city, you would be greeted by the spanking new “Welcome to Port-of-Spain” sign constructed 200 metres to the west of the Barataria flyover.
The unveiling of the patriotic road sign is scheduled for 10 am on September 22.
Its co-designer 35-year-old Christian Jaggernauth said the signage was the first of its kind done by his company—Outdoor Images N Kaleidoscope (OINK), based in East-Trinidad.
The nine-year-old company co-owned by his relative 38-year-old Melanie Jaggernauth, has in the past worked with the Ministry of Works and Transport on the Highway Beautification Project (HBP), in which it completed projects along the Beetham Highway, but to date, none of this stature, according to Jaggernauth.
He explained his company decided to take on this project after it occurred to him; there was no one such sign constructed in the capital city.
“There are ‘welcome’ signs in Arima, Tunapuna, St James and other places but no such greeting for Port-of-Spain,” Jaggernauth related.
He said he found it strange that Port-of-Spain—the capital city did not have such a sign even after 58 years of Independence.
“We even asked the ministry if there were any such signs in the city of Port-of-Spain before taking on the project and we were told no,” Jaggernauth added.
He said his company designed and sent a draft of what the sign would look like to the ministry and it was approved.
Work began at the start of the year on the project but was temporarily paused, Jaggernauth explained, due to the pandemic.
He said it was only last week construction resumed and the project was scheduled to be completed on Sunday with landscaping finishing to be applied next Monday.
Of the project, Jaggernauth who formerly worked in advertising said he felt proud that his company was charged with the venture particularly because he believed it was a patriotic and nation-building engagement.
He said with this small yet significant facelift to the capital city, he hoped the population would feel a sense of pride.