THE Ministry of Public Works has announced the closure of the intersection of Akawini Street and Sheriff Street, from Tuesday, December 15 to Tuesday, December 22, 2020. The closure to traffic, the ministry said, is to facilitate the construction of drainage under the Sheriff Street-Mandela Avenue Road Enhancement Project.

“The intersection will be re-opened to traffic on 22nd December, 2020 at 06:00hrs,” the ministry said. The notice encouraged motorists desirous of accessing Akawini Street from Sheriff Street, to use Stone Avenue or other suitable alternative routes in the meantime.
“Pedestrians and motorists are reminded to exercise caution and observe all directional signs in the area,” the notice read.

As construction works progress on the Sheriff-Mandela road project, commuters and businesses have complained of the works being an inconvenience. However, most of them look forward to seeing the benefits and beauty of the spanking new highway, once completed.

On Wednesday last, Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, had estimated the project as being 57 per cent completed, with works moving rapidly apace. The minister admitted that the ongoing works have become somewhat of a humbug, as a number of sub-contractors are proceeding with various aspect of the project, simultaneously.

Like many infrastructure projects in recent times, the Sheriff/Mandela Road Expansion, too, suffered significant delays.
The contract for the project was signed in December 2017, with Sinohydro Corporation Limited. The works entailed the rehabilitation of the seven kilometer stretch of road between Sheriff Street and Mandela Avenue. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)-funded project was estimated to cost USD$31,027,627.36.

It was initially scheduled to commence in March 2017 and be completed within a 24-month period. Construction, however, began in August of that year. The project was then stalled, after the Inter-American Development Bank halted works, citing human rights violations by the aforementioned contractor.

Following the protracted March 2020 General and Regional Elections, the IDB was re-engaged by the new Irfaan Ali-Government, and the project resumed with much urgency, with a new deadline of August 2021.
The project will boast of a two-lane roadway with a concrete median to divide the two lanes along Sheriff Street. Meanwhile, Mandela Avenue will see the expansion of the roadway from a two-lane road to a spanking four-lane thoroughfare, with a central concrete median and shared-use paths.

A roundabout is also set for the junction of Sheriff Street and David Street/Railway Embankment Road. The new highway will also boast of the requisite road safety amenities such as sidewalks, bicycle lanes and adequate parking spaces, including two pedestrian overpasses.