Traffic out of Blue Hills flowed smoothly this morning, Thursday, September 27th, following road works that erected a dedicated left turn lane onto Leeward Highway and a mini round-a-bout at Walter Cox Drive.
Before the road works, traffic congestion was a regular occurrence along Millenium Highway during morning and afternoon rush hours.
Road engineers identified the round-a-bout at the junction between Millenium Highway and Leeward Highway as the main cause of traffic congestion in this area.
By creating a dedicated left turn lane, drivers seeking to head East can turn left onto Leeward Highway without interruption while those heading
right can access the round-a-bout as usual.
Additionally, a mini round-a-bout has been placed at Walter Cox Drive so that drivers heading South on Millenium Highway will be forced to give way to those merging in from Walter Cox Drive.
These changes will help to ease congestion and create a better flow of traffic in the area.
Road engineers have also inserted a pedestrian crossing on Millenium Highway to increase safety for pedestrians. The crossing is raised with ramps on either side to increase visibility and to force drivers to slow down.
Sergeant Damien Mitchell, Head of Traffic for the Royal Turks and Caicos Police Force, explained the rules of these new roadways during RTC’s morning newscast and added that the new path is working beautifully..
Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ian Astwood, was on site this morning to observe the public’s interaction with the new road ways. He was joined by Public Works Project Manager, Mark McCabe and representatives from Herzog.
The Public Works Department is eager to hear feedback from the public on the new roads ways as this is only Phase 1 of the road works in the Blue Hills area.
In Phase 2, government has plans to make Millenium Highway a dual carriageway much like Leeward Highway.
The pedestrian crossings in the downtown area will also be raised, repainted and ramped to match the crossing that is now in Millenium Highway, very soon.
Source: Allie Capron (RTC News)
