In the past weeks there has been some public comment on the internet and in the media, concerning the Thyme Bottom/Parish Land Road Re-alignment and its impact on the property of Prof. Kamau Brathwaite.  

As a result of this, it has become necessary to provide information on the nature of this aspect of the project generally and with reference to the property of Prof. Edward Kamau Brathwaite in particular.  

Parish Land Road Re-Alignment Project 

As part of the airport expansion project the Thyme Bottom/Parish Land Road will be refurbished and re routed with the addition of a sidewalk on one side. The project will start at the existing gas station and will continue along the route of the existing road until it turns west to route around the runway Clear Zone.  The road will turn back east to rejoin the existing road on the way to the Police Training College at Paragon.

 Necessity of the Road Re-Alignment

 

 

 

 

The realignment of the Thyme Bottom/Parish Land Road is an integral part of the airport expansion project. It involves re-routing the road around the zone of final approach by aircraft, and the relocation of residents in the area. This is necessary for a number of reasons: 

  1. This will bring Barbados into compliance with the safety requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), which sets international standards for safety and security of aviation.

 

  1. The presence of large metal objects (such as cars or houses with satellite dishes) in the final approach zone can cause inaccuracies in the readings of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) on aircraft. The ILS guides aircraft toward the runway centreline on landing. The relocation of the houses in the area minimises this risk.

 

  1. It protects the Approach Lighting System that is sited in the clear zone. These approach lights are a pilot’s final visual guide onto the landing runway. The presence of other lights in the light field is potentially confusing to pilots and possibly a danger. Further, there have been cases of vandalism against landing light installation in the past which have been difficult to prevent given the present unsecured location of the lights. The area containing the Approach Lighting System will be fenced in as part of the road re-alignment project.

 

  1. The relocation of houses which forms a part of the road re-alignment project reduces the hazard to persons living in the area in the event of an air emergency.

 

  1. The expansion of the fence line will improve the response time of emergency vehicles to the landing zone, in the event of an accident.                                                                                                                                            
  2. There have also been major security concerns at airports worldwide over the potential for terrorist actions against aircraft on the final approach and take-off segments of flight. These critical zones must be secured and be clear of structures and persons.

 

 

How the road affects Professor Brathwhaite.  

The southern portion of the re-alignment of the road crosses the northern border of Prof. Brathwhaite’s property. The initial plan for the construction of the road required the acquisition of 3,310 square metres of property. 

Original Road Plan

In response to Prof. Brathwhaite’s objections, the Airport moved the path of the road north to reduce the impact of the project.  Under the new plan Government will acquire 1,001 square metres of Prof. Brathwhaite’s 10,389 square metre property. The road cannot be moved any further north without compromising the runway clear zone.  

Revised Road Plan

 

Further, the Government of Barbados will landscape the border of Prof. Brathwaite’s land along the road in order to minimise the impact of traffic noise on his property. The closest approach of the road to Prof. Brathwaite’s house is in excess of seventy metres.   

Why Now? 

The re-alignment of the Thyme Bottom/Parish Land Road has always been part of the redevelopment plan that guides the Grantley Adams International Airport Expansion Project. The work included in the realignment is part of a planning process that goes back 10 years.  

Additionally one of the requirements of the funding agencies for the Airport Expansion Project is that the airport becomes compliant with international safety standards as specified by the ICAO.  

Public Consultation 

At the beginning of the road re-alignment project there was a series of public consultations with parties affected. These consultations were publicly advertised and took place at; Grantley Adams International Airport, St. Bartholomew’s Primary School, Fairy Valley Pentecostal Church and the Foundation School.

There were also site visits to the relocation sites at Lead Vale and Fairy Valley.

 In addition to these public consultations, Airport and Project Management met with Professor Brathwaite on several occasions – the most recent in December 2004, when the drawings detailing the horizontal alignment of the revised route were explained to the Professor and his wife, at his home, by a team including the Project Manager, the Project Architect, the Airport Manager and the Deputy Airport Manager. 

The Airport Expansion Project has made every effort to be sensitive to Professor Brathwaite’s concerns while maintaining and operating within the constraints of safety to persons residing in the vicinity of the runway, aircraft operations and security requirements.  

Exploded view of plot.pdf

 

 

Dr. Kamau Brathwaithe's plot showing pictures of Cowpasture  The arrows point the direction of the camera.