(Trinidad Express) The catastrophic collapse of part of the Manzanilla-Mayaro Road on Sunday as a result of flood waters that carved a new watercourse was inevitable, and if rain were to continue to fall regularly, there would be more damage.
And until it can be repaired, thousands of people headed east from Mayaro will have to commute through Rio Claro. Director of the Highways Division in the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, Roger Ganesh, said the road’s damage was the worst he had seen in his 34 years as an engineer.
He said it could cost more than TT$5 million to build a temporary road, and more than TT$50 million for a permanent replacement.
Part of the road was still under water on Monday, but more than 300 metres of the surface has been swept away.
The road has been closed until further notice.
Ganesh, who visited the devastated area on Monday, said nothing could be done to fix the road until all water was completely drained.
The Manzanilla-Mayaro Road runs between Manzanilla and Mayaro, between the Nariva Swamp and the coastline. The area has suffered devastating floods before, with residents recalling a similar wash-out in the 1970s.
“It is like a lake inside here,” Ganesh said Monday.
He intends visiting the area again today to assess damage.
He said, “From what I saw this morning the damage there, it is quite extensive. We have at least 300 metres of roadway completely gone.”
