New transportation plan, global tenders to be issued
Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan said yesterday that international tenders will soon go out for the development of a transportation plan for Trinidad and Tobago.
Sinanan was speaking yesterday at the Parliament’s Standing Finance Committee (SFC), at which he explained various aspects of his ministry’s expenditure for the 2023 fiscal year.
Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal questioned Sinanan about the cost of this plan.
He noted that under the Patrick Manning-led administration, there was a $500 million study for the rapid rail.
Sinanan said the last national transportation plan for Trinidad and Tobago was completed in in 1967, when there were still a lot of donkey carts on the road.
Moonilal quipped “and there will be in 2022”.
Sinanan said the national transportation plan is a roadmap for air, land and sea transportation and it will take all aspects of traffic management including looking at alternative routes.
He said the plan will guide the country over the next 20 years and the Ministry is working with the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) and received grant funding for the policy aspects of the plan.
In an August 2019 news release, CAF said it signed a US$200 million loan agreement to provide free availability financing to improve Trinidad and Tobago’s road network through comprehensive development, maintenance, management and planning to be carried out by the Ministry of Works and Transport (MOWT).
The agreement was signed by Gianpiero Leoncini, CAF representative in Trinidad and Tobago, and Colm Imbert, Minister of Finance.
“Improving the quality of infrastructure and transport services is essential to foster Trinidad and Tobago’s socio-economic development. The funds are expected to boost productivity and competitiveness, and to facilitate business growth and job creation,” said Leoncini.
The funds were earmarked for the Sector-Wide Approach Programme for Road Development Support. The Ministry of Works and Transport also gave commitments to strengthen regulatory frameworks, road safety and reduce congestion, through various activities aimed at strengthening institutions in issues such as updating the National Transport Plan, signalling programmes, change in traffic regulations, camera systems or new traffic lights.
Moonilal again pressed for the cost and the Minister indicated that tenders will soon be going out.
“So we have a national transportation plan for which we don’t know what will be the final cost to the taxpayer,” said Moonilal.
He said he was concerned of having these plans with “no monetary full stop” on how much it will eventually cost.
“In fact, this is the Rapid Rail 2 that we are going to embark upon and we are very concerned about this.” he said.
Sinanan retorted: “Had the Rapid Rail been done in Trinidad the commuters would have been so happy with the movement from San Fernando to Port of Spain,”
The plan, he said, is totally different to the Rapid Rail study.
Couva South MP Rudranath Indarsingh questioned Sinanan on the plans to restructure the Port of Spain port.
The Minister said $1 million is allocated towards this project to pay consultants and they are also working with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
Photo: INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADE: Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan.