The Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway, sometimes referred to as SHH, is the major north–south highway on the island of Trinidad, in Trinidad and Tobago. It runs for 51.2 km (31.8 mi).
The highway was named for Sir Solomon Hochoy,[1] the first Caribbean-born Governor of Trinidad and Tobago and the first Governor General of Trinidad and Tobago. Originally constructed as a two-lane highway in the early 1970s, it was expanded to a four-lane dual carriageway in the late 1970s.
Description
Route
The first segment of the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway begins at Chaguanas, where traffic joins the Uriah Butler Highway. The highway begins as a four lane expressway at the Southern Main Road interchange in Downtown Chaguanas. It then runs past Brentwood/Edinburgh 500 with access from the southbound lane. After Chaguanas, the highway continues past Chase Village and then Freeport, both accessed by interchanges. At Couva, a more advanced interchange provides access to Balmain, Preysal, Downtown Couva and the Point Lisas Industrial Estate via Rivulet Road and Gran Couva. After Couva, the highway continues south through a sparsely settled hilly area before meeting Cedar Hill Road, providing access to Claxton Bay and Tortuga. It then passes the community of Macaulay, with partial access, and then Gasparillo with an interchange at Bonne Aventure Road.
As the highway nears San Fernando, it passes the Brian Lara Cricket Academy and Gasparillo Bypass Road, before providing access to Tarouba and the San Fernando Bypass at the Tarouba Link Road interchange. Further south and on the newest section of the highway, the Naparima Mayaro Road bridges over the highway just before the Corinth Interchange, which provides access to Corinth, Pleasantville, Cocoyea and Downtown San Fernando. The Golconda Interchange provides access to Golconda and La Romain via the Golconda Connector Road. After San Fernando, the first segment of the highway comes to an end soon after passing the Debe interchange, and terminates at a temporary roundabout upon meeting Gandhi Village Road.
The second continuous section of the highway is known as the Archibald-De Leon Highway. It begins at an interchange with the South Trunk Road at Mon Desir and runs until La Brea, where it diverts to the Southern Main Road before the highway restarts at Dump Road and continues to Point Fortin.
Features
For its entire length, the highway is a four-lane expressway that is entirely grade separated with the exception of the temporary southern terminus. The speed limit on the entire route is 100 kilometers per hour. It can be considered the most modern highway in the country and is up to international freeway standards.
Exit list
The following table lists the major junctions along the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway. The entire route is located in Trinidad.
In 2001, work commenced on making the highway bypass San Fernando completely. This work was completed in 2003. Further work was done in 2013 extending the highway to Debe while en route to Point Fortin. Plans are underway to extend the highway to Point Fortin.[3] The highway's current extended route will be discontiguous from the main route as the Debe to Mon Desir segment of the highway is not currently planned to be constructed by the current administration.[4]
Numerous upgrades to the interchanges along the highway occurred in recent years, most notably in San Fernando at the Tarouba and Golconda interchanges and in Couva at the Couva/Preysal interchange. Plans are in place for two new interchanges in Chaguanas at Endeavour and Brentwood as well as to upgrade the interchange at Monroe Road.[5] There are also plans to add an additional lane on both the northbound and southbound carriageways from Chaguanas to Chase Village making that segment of the highway a six-lane dual carriageway.[6] This plan was later revised and now the highway will be widened to a six-lane dual carriageway from Chaguanas to San Fernando and this will be done in 2 Phases: From Chaguanas to Couva and afterwards from Couva to San Fernando.[7]
