Motorists have complained about a lengthy traffic gridlock following an accident on the southbound lane of the Uriah Butler Highway on Sunday night.
Guardian Media understands that around 5 pm, a concrete pump (cement) truck heading south overturned just after the Guayamare River bridge, which led to a major traffic pile-up which lasted into yesterday morning.
The truck was removed after midnight and police officials said the delay was due to a mechanical issue with the wrecker.
Head of security at Km6 Machinery, which is located along the highway, who asked not to be identified, said this caused a traffic nightmare.
“It was massive, a lot of traffic from maybe a lil hour and a half to two hours ... it was gridlock traffic,” he said.
He claimed he did not observe any officers at the police bay opposite his workplace or directing traffic but he said there was not much more they could have done.
Some people took to social media to express their concerns, “This was the worst last night, I passed that accident around 4 (pm) went to Radio 100 parang and after 11 (pm) this still there, it was so ridiculous, saw ah man shut-down for gas in d traffic and all,” Randy Fonzo wrote.
“That traffic was horrible,” Neisha Rambaran also posted.
Contacted yesterday, Traffic and Highway Patrol Branch head, Snr Supt Garvin Simon, said a mechanical issue with a wrecker delayed the truck’s removal. Guardian Media was told the officers’ attempts to remove the concrete pump truck proved difficult, as the chain connecting both vehicles kept bursting. It was only after they sent for another wrecker that they were able to finally move the truck after midnight.
“After the first one tried for a while and it wasn’t getting through, we sent for a next one,” Simon said.
He said his officers were on the scene directing the traffic and the only time it came to a complete stop was when the wrecker tried to remove the truck.
However, another senior officer, who asked not to be named, admitted the police could have done a better job communicating with the population about the accident.
Meanwhile, the head of security revealed he has witnessed at least nine accidents along the same stretch of the highway for the year so far.
