Dangerous holes form along highway walkovers

News Joey Bartlett 14 Hrs Ago

Vehicles proceeding along the Churchill Roosevelt Highway can be seen through a gaping hole in the concrete floor of a pedestrian walkover near the Courts Megastore. - Photo by Ayanna Kinsale

TWO pedestrian walkovers along the Churchill Roosevelt Highway have deteriorated to the point where holes now expose the speeding traffic below, raising alarm among commuters and pedestrians who use the structures daily.

A Newsday team visited the walkovers on November 12 following reports from concerned citizens. The first damaged structure, located near Xtra Foods in San Juan, showed a gaping hole in its concrete floor large enough for one to see the highway beneath.

Just metres away, in the same direction heading toward Port of Spain, another section of another walkover showed similar deterioration, with exposed steel reinforcement rods visible through the broken concrete.

Further along the highway, near Courts Megastore, another pedestrian overpass appeared to be in better condition, showing no visible cracks or damage to the naked eye.

When contacted, Works and Infrastructure Minister Jearlean John responded via WhatsApp indicating she has already forwarded the matter to the ministry’s Chief Technical Officer for review.

A subsequent email from the ministry’s communications division confirmed officials were aware of the issue. The statement read:

“These structures were previously inspected by the ministry’s Highways Division and have already been scheduled for repair under the current fiscal year.”

A brief phone call with a ministry communications officer emphasised the upcoming repair works would be handled “mainly with internal resources.”

Despite the visible damage, the ministry’s release sought to assure the public the structures remain safe for use.

“Following our most recent assessments, the ministry confirms while visible deterioration is present, there is no immediate structural failure that will result in a collapse of these walkovers.”

However, pedestrians and commuters were urged to “exercise due caution when traversing the walkovers until repair works are completed.”

Asked for the estimated cost of the repair works, or if a broader maintenance initiative is planned to address walkover safety nationwide, the ministry did not provide a response up to press time.