Since early 2009, the Cayman Islands government has been sitting on a long-term road corridor proposal from the National Roads Authority, which expands upon the 2005 Revision to the Roads Law and anticipates traffic demands for the next two decades.
Although it has neither been approved by Cabinet nor been gazetted, the proposal has already influenced the plans of several developers, who have been required to set aside land for the future road corridors in order to minimise the cost to government when and if the proposal becomes official and government determines to buy the land for the future roads.
Long-term road plan
The “Long Term Projection of Road Corridors Grand Cayman” reveals significant potential changes across the Island, aimed at providing alternate routes through George Town and improving connectivity in West Bay and the eastern districts. The Roads Authority provided documents to the Caymanian Compass in response to a request under the Freedom of Information Law.
The proposal outlines more than a dozen new roundabouts and many future roadways, ranging in width from 30 to 125 feet. Among other plans, the proposal calls for a continuous road from Northwest Point Road/Bonaventure Road to the proposed Esterley Tibbetts Highway extension, involving Hell Road, Rev Blackman Road, and Willie Farrington Drive. (As part of the ForCayman Investment Alliance between the Dart Group and government, Dart is building the Esterley Tibbetts extension and the link from the highway to Willie Farrington.)
The long-term proposal calls for the extension of Eastern Avenue southward from Shedden Road through Elgin Avenue and Smith Road, providing for a direct route all the way down to South Sound Road. Downtown, the proposal envisions a corridor linking North Church Street/Mary Street to Bodden Road, via Rock Hole Road and Diaz Lane. In the same area, the proposal has a corridor from Fort Street/Mary Street to Eastern Avenue/Godfrey Nixon Way, also involving Rock Hole Road.
Near the airport, Owen Roberts Drive would be extended west from Dorcy Drive directly to Shedden Road. South of the airport, Agnes Way would be extended southward to South Sound Road.
A new road would run north of and parallel to South Sound Road from Old Crewe Road to Walkers Road. Another proposed corridor links that new road to Fairbanks Road and Aspiration Drive to the north. Additionally, a new road east of St. Ignatius Church would link to the proposed extension of Linford Pierson Highway to Walkers Road.
In the District of Bodden Town, a new road corridor along the south coast would link Bodden Town Road to Pedro Castle Road, providing an alternate route to Shamrock Road. Additionally, Anton Bodden Drive/Condor Road would be extended westward and then go down to link to the new south coast road corridor.
In East End, a road corridor would link John McLean Drive to High Rock Drive. Additionally, a road corridor south of Colliers would link Austin Conolly Drive to a gazetted road linking the two branches of the proposed east-west highways.
In North Side, a road corridor south of Dowry Pond would link Frank Sound Road to Further Road. Another road corridor south of Malportas Pond would link Further Road to Hutland Road.
The largest future road corridors on the proposal are a 125-foot-wide extension of the East-West Arterial beyond its current terminus at Hirst Road, and an 80- to 100-foot-wide Airport Connector Road from Owen Roberts Drive, to North Sound Road, around the Sewage Plant and to Esterley Tibbetts.
Plan affects development
On 16 December, 2008, Roads Authority staffers presented to the Board a Transportation Plan that “looked at long term development, traffic growth, ease of vehicular access around the Island and the ability to move around with the focus being on the eastern districts for the next 10-15-20 years,” according to the minutes of the Board meeting.
The Board agreed the plan should be presented to then-Minister of Works Arden McLean during the Board’s first meeting in 2009, which took place 21 January, 2009. The Board adopted the long-term proposal in February 2009.
In February 2010, Empire Development Co. submitted an application to the Central Planning Authority for the second phase of an apartment complex off Fairbanks Road, next to the Field of Dreams. Although the Roads Authority noted the proposed road corridor may affect the third phase of the complex, the Planning Authority approved the developer’s application.
In March 2010, Daniel Burke applied to combine four parcels of land off Walkers Road, then subdivide it into two lots. The Roads Authority noted a potential conflict with a proposed road corridor, stating, “The NRA is awaiting feedback from the Ministry of Works before forwarding these plans to the CPA for recommendation and ultimately gazetting per the Roads Law.” The Planning Authority approved Mr. Burke’s application.
In July 2010, the Department of Environment applied to build a two-storey laboratory and living quarters building, expanding on its existing headquarters off North Sound Road near the Barcadere Marina. The new building would encroach upon the proposed Airport Connector Road. The Department of Environment objected that the road was not gazetted and it was too large.
Representing the Department of Environment, architect Andrew Gibb said, “It is a large road with turning lanes and pull off lanes. It’s the kind of road the Germans would be proud of.”
Roads Authority Assistant Director Denis Thibeault said, “This is not an autobahn, it will be 30mph.”
Saying the design of the road cost $350,000, Roads Authority Managing Director Brian Tomlinson said, “This will be a major transportation corridor, but it is not yet gazetted and Government has not expressed a desire to buy the lands. But the plans for the road are in place.”
In its written comments, the Roads Authority cited “financial constraints” as the reason for the delay in gazetting the project. The Planning Authority determined the Department of Environment could relocate its proposed building in order not to infringe on the future road corridor.
In November 2010, the Planning Authority heard an application from Davenport Development to modify the site layout of the San Sebastian complex on South Sound Road. The new application was to expand the footprint of San Sebastian northward into a 25-foot-wide strip that had been reserved for a proposed road corridor, according to original plans approved in December 2009. The developer argued that when he made the original application, he did not realise the proposed road corridor had not been approved by Cabinet or gazetted.
The Roads Authority noted an adjacent developer had agreed to include the road reserve in his plans. A Planning Authority member asked if the Roads Authority had the legal right to request the road reserve from Davenport. Mr. Thibeault said, according to meeting minutes, that “They have a road plan, but maybe not the legal right.”
Mr. Tomlinson said the reserve was being requested so that when the time came for government to build the road, it would not have to buy buildings that had been erected where the corridor needed to go.
The Planning Authority denied Davenport’s application, stating that it can take planned roads into account even if they have not been gazetted.
In December 2011, Satinwood Gate submitted a successful application for a residential development next to Randyke Gardens. The Roads Authority noted that the proposed extension of Agnes Way would run through the area – indicating plans for the extension had changed even since February 2009.
“The alignment and width has been adjusted from the previously approved Section 25 to accommodate surrounding parcels, but can be modified as it has not been approved by the NRA Board,” according to the meeting minutes.
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Idle hands are the devil’s workshop. The NRA can’t predict that all this is going to be needed or wanted. Have they bothered to solicit the opinion of the people? They are not smarter than everyone else. Why do all this work without having any public meetings?