Highway - Haiti Observer Blog

What would you say if I tell you there is a plan to make "Route Nationale #1" safer, more efficient and overall better. While we are fighting among ourselves, the multi-year plan to make Haiti an emerging country is moving ahead.

In the objective to improve economic development in Haiti, an investment of $50 million is being made by the Inter-American Development Bank to improve road transportation between Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haitien which are the biggest cities in Haiti.

By the time this project is over, the road from Port-au-Prince to Cap-Haitian will be equipped with guardrails, speed bumps and road signs. The road will also have widening shoulders.

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In 2004, according to key government statistics, 20% of the roads in Haiti were made up of highways. According to a recent announcement by the Minister of Public Works Transport and Communication (MTPTC), Jacques Rousseau, at the Council of Ministers, that number will have a slight, yet significant, bump with the plans to construct two new highways.

Funded by the Venezuelan gift that keeps on giving, PetroCaribe, the $30 million dollar venture will erect Elevated Highway Interchanges at Carrefour and Delmas. The plans are set to start in April, and with billboards to be erected announcing the details to the public post-haste, and in the most effective manner for the people who traverse these two areas and are so, set to benefit most from the project, the two new highways are expected to greatly relieve the congestion which grows to epidemic proportions on a daily basis along both commutes. The heavy traffic also contributes to the poor state of the current roadway, as the same government statistics show that 80% of the network is said to be in either bad or very bad condition.

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The Haiti plan involves the creation of Highway. These new highways in Haiti will be built for integrating and developing areas outlying Port-au-Prince and other key cities in Haiti by linking them with a national transportation infrastructure and social support.

The plan will require construction of 600 km of roads of Highway. The 18-month budget sets aside an initial $30 million for the road initiative, with "firm commitment to $600 million." Another $150 million is included for repairs and maintenance of these highways, with an additional $50 million in budgetary support.

"We need to connect these regions using not only a network of roads but also adequate port and airport facilities and a range of public services that are suited to economic and social development needs, particularly in terms of education and access to quality health-care services," the report states.

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