PM Gonsalves unveils plan for proposed new city at Arnos Vale

The master plan for the proposed new city at Arnos Vale is now available.{{more}}

Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves said at a press conference on Monday that he received the document from the Diamond-Schmitt architects.

“This is the plan for the development of the area,” Gonsalves announced as he showed a copy of the plan to members of the media.

He explained that each parcel of land will be further subdivided and the relevant infrastructure added.

Gonsalves said that when the relevant infrastructure is added, then the process of pre-selling the various lots of land will begin, in what he said would be a public-private partnership, for the development of the site.

“I want to put everything in place, so that when we finish the airport project at Argyle, we can begin to do work on this, including the tunnel to Kingstown,” the prime minister said.

He said that people often scoffed at the idea of a tunnel leading into Kingstown.

“Everybody agrees that we have to have a better transportation system in and out of the city and on the Windward side it is particularly problematic,” Gonsalves said.

“There are real access problems in and out of the city – it is a nightmare!”

He explained that a study conducted by the MMM group out of Canada has indicated that if the government were to invest in a coastal road 2,000 metres in length, it would cost an estimated US$75.6 million.

“If we were to do a coastal road with a bridge, it will cost US$96.7 million,” he said.

But to construct a direct tunnel 645 metres in length would cost $51.1 million.

“So, the tunnel option is the cheapest of the options,” Gonsalves said. (DD)