HomeEconomyMajor Upgrade of Portion of Philip Goldson Highway to Begin

Major Upgrade of Portion of Philip Goldson Highway to Begin

Major Upgrade of Portion of Philip Goldson Highway to Begin

The Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing is gearing up to upgrade a significant stretch of the Philip Goldson Highway, from mile eight to twenty-four and a half. This ambitious project, set to last thirty months, will bring the highway up to international standards. After securing funding from the Central American Bank for Economic Development (CABEI) and Taiwan in 2023, the contract was awarded to Teichroeb and Sons for forty-four million dollars. Construction is slated to begin next month. News Five’s Marion Ali has more on the scope of this extensive project.

 

Marion Ali, Reporting

Chief Engineer Evondale Moody shared that the Philip Goldson Highway Project, covering miles eight to twenty-four and a half, will involve a complete overhaul of the highway. Several new features will also be added as part of this extensive rehabilitation.

 

Evondale Moody, Chief Engineer, M.I.D.H

“We will be widening the road to an international standard, including shoulders. The section between Ladyville and Lords Bank will be transformed into a boulevard to accommodate the amount of traffic that we have within that corridor. We will also be doing significant drainage improvements within the Ladyville area because that area is usually inundated by floodwaters throughout the years. And so we will be incorporating some new line drains within that section. And these will be covered line drains that will be utilized as sidewalks as well on both sides of the carriageway in an effort to improve road safety as we traverse through the Ladyville and Lord’s Bank community.”

 

Moody assured that safety will be a top priority in the design.

 

Evondale Moody

“A number of accidents have occurred within that section of our highway. And so we want to do our best to try and improve road safety within that corridor and for the entire length of the project as we move along. To do that, we have to improve a number of the junctions that we have in place right now. So under the project, we’ll be constructing four new large diameter roundabouts, commencing with one at the airport access road for the Coastal Highway Junction. We’ll be having a second roundabout at Lords Bank Junction. And then a third at the Burrell Boom Junction and then the fourth one will be at the Old Northern Highway intersection with the Phillip Olson Highway. Those are major junctions for us that have always created problems in terms of accidents because of speeding and people not abiding by the traffic signs.”

We caught up with Michael Farrell, a motorist, to get his thoughts as he navigated that stretch of the highway today.

 

Michael Farrell, Motorist

“The infrastructure is there on all the roadways but the drivers – like the more road they have the more crazy they drive so having the infrastructure, you need to have police on the road with the speed guns that they say they already have. Bring out the speed guns. Vehicles on the roads that needs to be off the road; people need to have their vehicles up to par.”

 

The project will also include several secondary junctions connecting to the existing highway, like the one at Los Lagos. Additionally, over fifty culverts will be installed to enhance the road’s climate resilience and help it better withstand flooding. Marion Ali for News Five.

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