Residents and commuters traveling along Saint Lucia’s northern corridor could soon experience improved traffic flow following Parliament’s approval of two loans to support the long-anticipated expansion of the highway linking Castries to Gros Islet.
The roadway, one of the island’s busiest transportation routes, serves thousands of residents daily while also providing direct access to the island’s primary tourism belt, including Rodney Bay, Reduit and Gros Islet. Over the years, increasing traffic volumes driven by residential growth, commercial expansion and tourism activity in the north of the island have intensified calls for a wider roadway capable of accommodating the surge in vehicles and easing congestion.
The newly approved financing represents the latest step in advancing the multi-phase expansion project, which aims to transform the corridor into a continuous four-lane highway along key sections between Choc and Gros Islet.
During debate in the House of Assembly, Gros Islet MP Kenson Casimir welcomed the approval of the loans, emphasizing the significance of the project for residents who rely on the corridor daily. Reflecting on the scale of the development and its impact on his constituency, Casimir told Parliament that “I can smile because I know not only the 30,000 residents, 20 something thousand, close to 30,000 residents are smiling. All of Saint Lucia should be smiling today as we get this road done.”
Parliament approved a US$20 million loan from the OPEC Fund for International Development, equivalent to approximately EC$54 million, which will finance expansion works between Choc Bridge and Marisule Junction.
A second loan of four million Kuwaiti dinars, valued at roughly EC$35.4 million, was secured from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development to support expansion works between Monchy Junction and the Gros Islet Town Junction.
Casimir stressed that while Gros Islet residents stand to benefit directly from the upgraded roadway, the highway ultimately serves the entire country because of its role in connecting communities and supporting economic activity, particularly in the tourism sector. As he explained during the debate, “It’s a national road. It’s a road for the people of Gros Islet and Saint Lucia. It’s a road for the tourists who will visit Saint Lucia. It’s the road for all and sundry.”
The highway expansion is expected to include improved traffic management features aimed at increasing safety and efficiency along the corridor, which is frequently affected by congestion during peak commuting hours and major tourism seasons.
Casimir also addressed the history of the project during the debate, arguing that when the current administration assumed office it had to restart the process due to the absence of completed designs and approvals. Referencing earlier remarks in Parliament, he said the government discovered that “they had absolutely no designs for this road.
According to the MP, the administration therefore opted to move forward with a properly structured planning process before advancing the highway expansion. He explained that “we came in government and as a government we decided that we were going to do this road the right way.”
Casimir acknowledged that the government faced criticism during the election campaign for not delivering the four-lane highway during its first term. However, he maintained that the circumstances inherited in 2021 made immediate execution unrealistic.
Casimir also reflected on earlier stages of the project, criticizing what he described as shifting design decisions during previous attempts to advance the highway works. Recalling those developments, he noted that construction had begun on “less than a mile of road” before plans began to change, including multiple revisions to the number of roundabouts planned along the corridor.
Once completed, the four-lane expansion is expected to significantly improve travel times along the northern corridor, reduce congestion and strengthen the transportation link between the capital and the island’s rapidly growing residential and tourism communities in the north
