This means that the parking lot of a bar built on government's road reserve will be converted into the left-turn lane. Ramsaran’s Bar has been on that spot for 54 years.
The Works and Transport Minister told reporters although the bar is on Government property "we have tried to meet (the owner) more than halfway, in my humble view, to move their structure and give us more space for traffic to come onto the highway.
"His price, what he is asking for and what we believe is a just price, is chalk and cheese...When here opens on Monday, this business is dead and then, the price that we are offering would be far less than when he finally agrees to give up,” Warner said.
The stand-off over the location began with the previous Manning government when it first approved plans for the expansion of the highway.
The project to widen Tumpuna Road from two to four lanes began on March 1, 2010. The scheduled completion date is this weekend, with a formal opening planned for Monday.
It's part of a larger project for a four-lane, $150 million highway from O’Meara Road to Demarara Road running 4.6 kilometres.
Tana Gayadeen told Warner their family’s lawyer, Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, has advised them not to speak to him directly.
Warner said he has no problem with letting the lawyers decide. And he insisted: "We shall pave here this weekend.”
The Newsday newspaper said it spoke with the owners who said the family is willing to move the bar if they get adequate compensation. However the family did not say what it considers "adequate".
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