East Coast highway closure causes major traffic delays

A seemingly endless line of traffic bracketed the Railway Embankment all day yesterday after the East Coast Highway was closed to facilitate culvert and road works. (Photo by Terrence Thompson)

It took three hours for some commuters to travel from La Bonne Intention (LBI) to Plaisance yesterday afternoon following the closure of the East Coast Highway to facilitate the construction of culverts and bridges as part of the road widening and upgrade project.

The Ministry of Public Infrastructure has said the road, which was closed at 8 am yesterday, will not reopen until 11 pm today.

In light of the resulting congestion caused by the diversion of traffic along the railway embankment, minibus operators either stopped travelling to the city or made the trip at the inflated price of $500. In some cases, taxi drivers moved their fare from $2,000 to $4,000, citing the impact on their gas consumption due to the long wait.