Sidewalks for Millennium Highway announced by Wheeland MP

Dana Malcolm

Staff writer

Two long awaited projects are ongoing in Providenciales; cooldown activities for the Provo Dump and sidewalks for Millennium Highway are finally being installed. Kyle Knowles, Minister of Public Safety and Utilities, made the announcements sharing photos of the ongoing progress. 

Regarding the dump Knowles said:  “Based on the information received from the Caribbean Development Bank Consultant (CDB), the exercise, while challenging, has made progress. This is due to adequate heavy machinery operations and a continuous water supply, which combined helps in the suppression and mitigation of the hotspots, which have been a nuisance to the neighboring communities.”

Days before that he updated residents on sidewalks for the highway.

“A part of maintaining and enhancing a community includes having basic infrastructure. I’m happy to announce that construction of the sidewalks in the Millennium Heights (Phase 2) area has commenced. Works are beginning from the Grants gas station,” he revealed.

The sidewalks project is particularly helpful for residents.  It comes after years of walking directly alongside cars and trucks on the winding roadway which connects Wheeland to other major communities. 

Millennium Highway has gone through several upgrades over the years, from resurfacing to proposed  widening but no administration had tackled the lack of safe pedestrian spaces that separate them from drivers.

With a significant number of  businesses and civil organizations and schools spread across the length of the highway or branching directly off the main road,    pedestrians use it on a regular basis. The residents that commented on the work were jubilant sharing responses including:

“Way to go Min. Knowles” and “Awesome!!”

Not only is the sidewalk project expected to elevate pedestrian safety by providing people with a safe path, it could also inspire more residents to get out. 

In an AARP livability study they said “ As public spaces, sidewalks are the front steps to a community, activating streets both socially and economically,” AARP says people who live in an  area with sidewalks are almost 50 percent more likely move their body for almost 40 minutes on a daily basis. 

The presence of sidewalks can also allow for walking and cycling to school and work  which could have been a danger previously. Another benefit? It hikes up retail value for properties according to AARP. 

A similar statement comes from the National Association of City Transportation Officials, in their urban street design guide where sidewalks are described as ‘fundamental and necessary investment for cities, that have been found to enhance general public health.’ 

The cooldown project is expected to contribute to public health as well, removing the smoke nuisance which has plagued residents for years caused by constant fires at the landfill.