$6B San Fernando to Point Fortin starts Jan. 2011: Warner

The government of Trinidad and Tobago is building a highway from San Fernando to Point Fortin. 

Transport Minister Jack Warner made the announcement during a public consultation on the project earlier this week in Debe, South Trinidad.

Warner said the projected cost is $6 billion and the project should be completed in four years. He also announced that five temples, three churches and eight schools that are in the path of the highway would have to be relocated.

Warner said one of the reasons for undertaking this project is to reduce traffic along several routes including a two-hour journey from San Fernando to Point Fortin. 

 The minister promised to continue consultations with the public on the project right up to the sod turning, which is scheduled for January next year.

“Some of you will have to move out of your homes after living here for over 56 years and we want to discuss how we can create little disturbance for you,” Warner told the gathering.

Warner said he his focus on the south is deliberate because the region had been neglected by the previous government. “You would see a new phenomenon taking place in roads and bridges to correct the neglect of the past,” Warner promised.

He said the highway is "the biggest piece of work that this government will be conducting" he said.