After months of construction, the Carter Rey Boulevard – also known as The Valley Main Road – is finally completed and was opened to motorist and pedestrian traffic on Monday, April 11.
Speaking at the government’s weekly press briefing, Premier Dr Ellis Webster said: “It is certainly a momentous occasion to have the road fully opened today. The flow of traffic is very good, and I thank the Royal Anguilla Police Force (RAPF), the fire service, and all the emergency services, that have been assisting persons in how to get around.
“I know the people appreciate being able to traverse through The Valley, and certainly the businesses are happy that the encumbrances are all gone.”
The Minister of Infrastructure, Mr Haydn Hughes, oversaw the construction and redevelopment of the road from its inception through its completion, and kept the public abreast of the construction progress, from time to time, through narrative and photographs.
At Monday’s press briefing, he gave a brief history of the redevelopment of the road:
“In December 2020, surveying for The Valley Main Road began after we made a pronouncement that [that] was one of our goals for the 2020-2025 APM administration.
“Funding for the surveying, actually, was a movement [of monies] from the tourism vote into the infrastructure vote – to be able to pay for the surveying of The Valley main road. Tourism was shut down, so we were able to move around the funds in order to make that a reality.
“Cleveland Richards, of Richards Architecture, won the contract to do the surveying – and [later] to conduct the design and engineering -along with the team at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Tourism.
“Utilising the Value for Money study, we were able to produce a business case in 2021 for the redevelopment of the road. In May 2021 it was announced by the Premier, and Her Excellency the Governor, that funding for The Valley Main Road was being provided through the Economic Resilience Fund from the United Kingdom – in the amount of EC$8 million.
“In November 2021 we did some consultations with the emergency services, Public Utilities and businesses along the Carter Rey Boulevard [to determine what the road traffic logistics would entail]. Today [April 11] was a real-life trial taking into consideration traffic on the road and what it would actually look like.”
Opening of the Carter Rey Boulevard was fairly smooth – although there were some minor challenges and adjustments.
Some motorists encountered difficulty with regard to the safe movement of emergency vehicles, and larger vehicles, through the intersections and roundabouts. Adjustments and alterations had to be made to portions of the median, and risings, in order to rectify the flaws and allow for smoother and safer manoeuvring of large vehicles.
At some points throughout the day, police officers were directing traffic, and guiding people, through the appropriate lanes and turns as they navigated through the road.
Instructional videos have also been circulated to assist motorists with safe navigation through the road. The Carter Rey Boulevard is 840 metres long with five roundabouts to navigate.
