Traffic ease coming

Motorists and pedestrians traversing The City roads could soon get an ease in traffic restrictions as demolition of the old National Insurance Scheme (NIS) building on Fairchild Street nears an end.

The demolition, which forms part of a wider Bridgetown Transformation Project, is making way for the development of Golden Square Freedom Park.

Joy-Ann Haigh, Chief Executive Officer of Haigh Communications Inc, the company tasked with public relations for the project, told Barbados TODAY that the seventh and sixth floors have already been deconstructed and demolition of the fifth floor was now in progress.

The demolition exercise began on February 19 and is scheduled to last for five weeks. The Probyn Street Fire Station was already been taken down in the first phase of the project, on February 18.

“Once we remove the fourth floor the remainder of the demolition will then be in the form of excavation work,” said Haigh, as she provided an update on the project. She explained that when that is done traffic arrangements would again change, giving motorists and pedestrians an ease.

“Once we get the building down to a certain height the traffic plans that we implemented would be changed somewhat to allow for the traffic to flow a little bit better. So you wouldn’t see as many restrictions as you see now,” promised Haigh.

“So we are on time and on target. We are pleased so far with the progress being made,” she added, though she did not rule out delays for unforeseen circumstances.

Just over 20 people are working on the site, and Haigh gave the assurance that they were adhering to the strictest health and safety standards.

Meanwhile, officials are also busy a stone’s throw away at the Fairchild Street Village Market where they are constructing the new home for vendors that were impacted by the project.

The Urban Development Commission is expected to erect some 115 kiosks to accommodate the vendors who used to ply their trade in the vicinity of the Golden Square Market and Probyn Street as well as those who used to operate from the entrance of the Fairchild Street Bus Terminal and under the canopies attached to that facility.

Those vendors were given a dislocation grant and are expected to move into the new location by the end of this month.