Engineers exploring third lane for Hunter St. as enhancement nears completion

With the paving of Hunter Street – one of the main access roads from the East Bank corridor into Georgetown – almost complete, engineers are now exploring the possibility of adding a third lane to the road.

The announcement came as Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, visited the location Tuesday morning to assess the progress of the works. He said the possibility of a third lane, although yet to be confirmed, would be a great addition to assist in easing traffic congestion in the area during peak hours.

“Reducing travel time is a big priority for this government. People must get to work and get home relaxed not spending hours in traffic,” the Works Minister said.

Edghill explained that the idea behind the three lanes would see two lanes of traffic leading into the city during the morning rush hour period and two lanes leading out of the city during the afternoon peak period.

“Some people might say why you didn’t think about that before, but that’s the thing about engineering and designing … when you get on the ground and see where improvements can be made.

“There is light literally at the end of the tunnel with much improvement,” Edghill said as he assessed the progress of the road works.

He said except for the delays in getting asphalt, the road would have been completed by now. The initial contract of $86.6 million was awarded in May 2019 to Surrey Paving and Ideal Engineering for the geometric improvement of the street, which included raising the level of the road above the drains to prevent flooding and the upgrade of the sidewalks. The works were initially slated to conclude in December 2019.

Edghill said with the termination of that contract and the hiring of a new contractor – Vieira 66 Logistics – the ministry has been able to complete new culverts and also found a solution for a smooth connection of Hunter Street to Mandela Avenue.