Dart’s new mega-road junction opens
Roundabout and roadworks at Camana Bay
(CNS): The National Roads Authority (NRA) is expected to officially open the first ever three-lane roundabout and road underpass in Cayman, as well as a pedestrian ramp, on the Esterley Tibbetts Highway (ETH) on Monday. The project, which was part of the controversial NRA deal between the islands’ biggest investor and government’s road agency has resulted in a new mega junction at Camana Bay, reflecting the massive development being undertaken by the Dart Group in the area.
Despite the ongoing concerns about the scale of development by Dart and the growth of Camana Bay as a rival capital to George Town, Dart is pressing ahead with a number of projects. This latest road development, which includes the already completed ETH extension to West Bay, represents an investment by Dart of more US$100 million, the firm stated.
“Infrastructure is more than an economic stimulant; it’s a growth strategy for the Cayman Islands as a place where people want to live, visit and invest,” Dart Real Estate President Jackie Doak said on the firm’s website in a story revealing the opening of the roundabout.
“The road infrastructure in the Camana Bay area, the completion of the Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa, the near-completion of The Residences at Seafire and the planned five-star hotel on Seven Mile Beach are a testament to Ken Dart’s confidence in the Cayman Islands’ economy and the capacity for the core industries of financial services and tourism to expand,” she added.
Underpass at Camana Bay
The 450-foot long underpass is the first of its kind to be built in the Cayman Islands and it has been fitted with “an advanced lighting system to allow drivers’ eyes to adjust to the darkness of the passageway”, the company said, a stark reminder of the change that the developer is bringing to the island. An “industrial strength ventilation system to maximise air flow through the vehicular underpass” has also been fitted.
The roundabout is also the first road operating a three-lane traffic circle in the Cayman Islands and the NRA has been circulating leaflets to explain the road system to drivers, as well as a video that demonstrates how to properly manoeuver a three-lane roundabout (see below). The video emphasises drivers need to know ahead of time where to exit, choose their lane accordingly, and always signal when exiting.
The developer said the roundabout’s four exits will soon grow to six as the road network in that area continues.
Among the massive expansion of concrete, Dart has planted some trees, including scarlet-red Royal Poinciana and the Kapok, to landscape the roundabout. There is also an interim pedestrian ramp to access to Seven Mile Beach on the elevated crossing.
“Exceptional infrastructure is a critical first step in effective place-making,” Doak said. “Through thoughtful master planning, we can increase both the efficiency of the roadways and the walkability of Camana Bay, enhancing the experiences of people using the space whether they are driving, walking or cycling. We are privileged to have built the country’s first three-lane roundabout and vehicular underpass in conjunction with the NRA. This world-class infrastructure will accommodate the Cayman Islands’ growth and Camana Bay’s increasing sea-to-sound connectivity,” she added.
Meanwhile, as Dart continues with its road network development that will eventually see elevated development over West Bay Road linking its Seven Mile Beach property in the area to Camana Bay, the NRA is also working on roads in and around the capital (see related story).
Category: Local News
you have an old road you complain
you get a new road you complain
nothing will ever satisfy you people
get your head out you behind and realize this is the future everything is change
As long as those of you consider it a 4 way stop, a roundabout will never work as intended.
It is NOT a stop!! If you see no cars coming you do not have to brake. It is to keep traffic FLOWING people!!
Can you really blame me? I mean look at it.
Building more roads does not reduce traffic. This is a fact proven by scientific research. It’s a phenomenon known as “induced traffic” and one that the NRA and Dart have clearly never heard of… The Transportation Research Board just published a paper confirming that “for every 1 percent increase in highway capacity, traffic increases 0.29 to 1.1 percent in the long term (about five years out), and up to 0.68 percent in the short term (one or two years)”. So, basically, the more roads, the more cars. I think we can all attest to this given our own personal experiences on Cayman’s ever-expanding roads network…
Our government actually needs to get with the times and start investing in a decent public transport system which every other developed country in the world has, especially in major cities.
How many people have to die on Cayman’s roads before someone starts taking public transport seriously?
Drivers here can barely use the two-lane roundabout properly so I don’t have much hope for them navigating the three-lane one.
I observe that drivers here do not use indicators, which are particularly crucial when navigating a round-about.
There are also those who think that because we drive on the left, they should stay in the outer lane (left lane) all the way around the round-about, irrespective of where they are exiting.
I observed a cop doing it the other day, so if even the police cannot navigate the round-about, how much hope is there for the average driver?
i’ve been here 10 years…i have never seen a police car use its signals on a roundabout….
no one does
Its great that even with the people of no vision that Dart was able to teach them about making efficient roads. Now if we can just vote Dart in as an MLA and make him Premier we will be able get things on time and speedily . Mr. Dart please don’t forget to build a 6 lane highway from East End to Lindford Pierson highway. We need to decentralize everyone going west in the morning and stay East working in our own districts.
That film will lead to accidents and chaos.
When leaving a roundabout, you should do so into the lane furthest left so as not to cut across traffic that will continue on the circuit.
Vehicles intending to leave the roundabout should make their way safely across to the inside lane before they reach the exit.
Both the yellow and the red routes shown in the film entail the exiting vehicle cutting across a lane of traffic and there will be accidents.
In the event of the inevitable collisions, the fault will lie with the vehicle attempting to exit.
The 10 thumbs down (as I write – it’s probably a lot more now) show just how clueless Caymanian drivers are.
God help you!
How did you know a Caymanian wrote that comment?
What comment?
Because switching lanes while ON a roundabout sounds so much safer. WHAT? It’s people like you who I sit on my horn at when I see you on the road!
This video makes perfect sense, by the way. Let’s see how many people (unlike you, 4:42) comprehend and will use this correctly.
Hey Einstein,
If you enter the roundabout in the middle or outside lane, you have to switch lanes eventually or you will go round and round for ever.
What 4:42 is saying is that well before the exit you need, you carefully, gradually and safely drift to the inside or left hand lane.
Accidents happen when someone in the middle lane suddenly turns sharp left and cuts across the inside lane. It happened to me at Hurleys.
So, the video is completely wrong and people like you, using their horns, make fools of themselves.
The people that have the toughest time navigating traffic circles are those who never earned a driver’s license, or hold valid insurance. Typically they dwell around Butterfield roundabout and the non-functional dump/Micro roundabout. We should have officers posted at those locations, warning/ticketing for at least a 48hr period. Things would run a lot smoother if people didn’t reimagine the rules of the road based on the occupants of “traffic to the left”, or rolling vehicle mass.
Come on now folks, don’t be negative. This is progress! Welcome to 2017 you all have to move on. Cayman, whether it be good or bad, is not the quaint little Caribbean island of years gone by. (More’s the pity some may say) but if you want to be in the 21st century and reap the benefits in every way this is part of it. The donkey carts are well and truly non existent. There are far too many large vehicles travelling daily to use those country like roads. Dart has made a huge impact on Cayman for the better. Let’s not stop progress. It certainly will be confusing and may somehow be frightening at first but it’s like everything else, one will get used to it. It will decrease traffic chaos and in 6 months time you all will wonder how you’ve managed without it. Gone are the days when you had one little road from West Bay to East End. We didn’t like the thought of motorways in the U.K. We only had the little ‘A’ roads. Now we cannot imagine life without them. It has shortened the time of getting from A to B immensely.
I guess then that you live in WB because nothing has been done to shorten the time of getting from A to B if you live in the Eastern District, where a 20 min journey becomes 1 hour+, most of it spent trying to get to and beyond Hurleys.
That’s the thinnest part of the island…I’m sure they could remove the bottleneck at Hurleys somehow though. Any ideas?
A simple light, red stop, green go, yellow slow down, than all these round a bouts which has caused hours of back up traffic!!! Now we have a 3 lane round a bout. RCIPS will be very very busy!11
???
it has been proven that roundabouts are more efficient than stop lights…..
That’s only if they are used correctly. Yes, they are to keep traffic flowing, however, here in Cayman they use them as a 4 way stop.
Actually 1.22pm I now reside in the U.K. But did live years ago on Walkers Road near Georgetown when it was the “old Cayman.” But often remember that traffic bumper to bumper at peak times on the West Bay road. There has been a massive increase in the amount of traffic since then. People are still going to continue to buy vehicles, this is why you need to embrace highway improvements. Very few Caribbean islands have been fortunate to have the opportunity of investment from companies like Dart. I have visited practically all the Caribbean islands and Cayman is by far the superior in all aspects. So don’t knock it folks.
Then you cannot appreciate the terrible traffic on the eastern end when West Bay continually gets road improvements.
I am not knocking it, and you are right traffic now is much, much worse. Dart has done wonders with traffic GT to WB. In the meantime the NRA keep making more roads and more lanes in an insane attempt to ease the problems to the East when in reality they are just causing more traffic to bottleneck on the way to Hurleys. The CIG/NRA need to find a similar solution, an alternative highway, for the Eastern districts as Dart did for GT/WB. We can’t expect Dart to fix and pay for everything!
For the size of this small island, I don’t think this mega structure was necessary. When an accident occurs it will be chaotic. Thanks Mac!
Progressives re approved and expanded the NRA Agreement, relying on Dart as much or more than Maceewa and his UDPers.
After all the negative comments, I survived the roundabout, and tunnel, twice! However, they key in getting it right is knowing where your exit is, which is fine if you live here. As tourists make up a fair proportion of the drivers, and the usual approach is enter the roundabout, now, where am I going? It will be erm, interesting.
Exactly – my first couple of times using it I needed different exits. The first was a simple stick to the left the second I need to go around to get back into Camana Bay’s new entrance by the school, and it was confusing. This always how it is going to feel for new tourists using it. God bless them – I wish them luck b/c they are going to need it.
the round about merges from 3 lanes to one lane in a space of about 60 feet while heading back to GT. This is going to cause a MASSIVE backup into the 3 lane round-a-bout that most drivers are confused about in the first place. I know it is not permanent, but wow… VERY poor planning.
Agreed, not even properly sign posted with a merging lanes warning. Not sure why they needed three lanes and don’t even have one dedicated to access and exit (you still need to yield when entering the short highway).
Nice road hope traffic be less
The DVDL driving examiners only take the drivers to Fern Circle . The road test standads needs to increase. Come on DVDL. Cns do you know what DVDL test drivers on?
Don’t worry, even if the driving examiners don’t take learners down to the new road, rest assured the vehicle inspectors will be thrashing cars up and down there.
Well, my MLAs, you guys got to get busy.
George Town is the Capital:
Not enough parking
Not enough trees and shrubs
No market
Old buildings
Too many road – just need one road in and one road out
G.T. needs serious renovation that will cost more than 100 million.
One thing government can do is SELL THE DUMP TO DART! I love Bodden Towner, but they got to realize the land space in B.T. area is not just for them – its for the entire Cayman Islands. Lets just cap Mount Trashmore, give it to Dart, and move the dump to a new home where we can manage waste the right way with a new start!
I agree 100%. One of the best comments made yet. Dart will reclaim and repurpose the existing landfill Lets start waste management the right way finally.
Why not deal with the problem where it is, instead of just moving it from one place to another just so the tourists don’t have to see.
Nothing last forever.. You cant deal with the problem and still keep the dump open.. The dump should be closed so it can be treated effectively.. How do you treat the dump with thousands of pounds of trash still coming in everyday?? Shut it down, open the new site in BT, and teach our children how to manage their daily trash..
The new trash coming in will not be treated the way the old trash was treated. There will be new processes to treat all waste. The rehabilitated site will will treat each component of waste differently, there will be no growing mountain of waste like it is now, everything will be used to make energy or recycled.
You talk sense 1.04pm I really hope Dart will transform the dump. In the U.K. every householder HAS to recycle all trash from their home. They are given separate sacks for paper, cardboard, plastics and tins. It is so easy. The benefits of this recycling is enormous and of great value to the environment. Plus offering many jobs for Caymanians at the plant. Truly a worthwhile venture.
Agreed. In my part of the UK the local council also compost our waste food and vegetables for compost to feed the flower displays in the town centre and roundabouts; and they collect old clothes, shoes, bedding, furniture, etc. for people who have fallen on hard times.
“instead of just moving it from one place to another”
This is the problem. There was never a plan to “move” anything!
The dump where it is is almost full. 20, 10, 5 years ago this was discussed.
Close it, cap it, stay a new one somewhere else. And if the new one can manage waste more effectively than piling it up? Great.
Maybe the dump should move to the Eastern side. There is tons of land out in that area.
Nope. You won’t be polluting up this side.
So Caymankind, so its OK for where most people live to suffer, but not the few Caymankind out east?
Would you please get it into your thick head that the dump is where it has always been. People moved to it knowing it was there. For them to now complain there is a landfill in their backyard and that it must now be moved to someone else’s backyard is as ridiculous as it is insulting.
Most chose to live there despite the dump already being there. Moral of the story if you don’t like living near a dump, don’t move or build near one, and don’t try to dump your problem on someone else.
It would be helpful if politicians could explain the difference between Bodden Town “District”, and the Town of Bodden Town. The job creating, EPA-compliant, sustainable waste, recycling, and compost management facility was planned for the district, far outside of the populated zone, sandwiched between two noisy, pre-existing, and non-compliant quarries, that none of the dump protesters seem to have ever had any problem with.
You wouldn’t be saying that if you lived in Midland Acres, currently an expanding and peaceful area.
GT can be saved if Govt were to build a multi level parking garage on the site of the old Tower Building. They could be making money and still build the prayer/worship chapel on the top level. The top level could also serve as a lovely viewing area for tourists. The first two levels could be for the general public to park where method of payment could be a ticket pay machine for $1.50 per hour with a 3 hr maximum stay. The remaining levels would be for local businesses to lease a few parking spots on a monthly basis. They would have a card to swipe for the upper levels. This can work. All we need is for Govt to finally do something with that property and this could help to save GT. I never go into town except to go to the bank where I can easily get parking. I would love to see a resurrection of GT but no parking is killing it!
We need free parking – not paid parking.
And prayer chapel??? It better be a chapel that has no crosses (not just christianized) and that is well lited and open 24 hours. A chapel where Jews and Muslims can use as well. And if you build one for George Town, you should build for the other districts too. My 2 cent
*Sad, but only a few churches on this island is open 24 hours for prayer and meditation. Even the Catholic church has their chapel open 24 hours so they could go and pray
An idea which I may say has been suggested for years but has much merit. I would say it is a no brainier. Whilst we at that location why does the owner of the old bakery building stop people parking there by placing cones there. This is actually government road which is getting closed off. Couple with the new illegal car park opposite and the pedestrian crossing this is a serious accident waiting to happen. The NRA needs paint two yellow lines down as they do elsewhere. I guess once again it is who you know similarly to the CPA..
George Towers could tell Bodden Towners to keep their garbage, that George Town does not want it.
We must start seeing the larger picture, we are one small island and the only way to solve our problems is by working together.
People from Breakers and Midland Acres complaining … but great border or mounded hedge between the dump and their properties can be made and safety standards put in place. Plus, the dump won’t be ran as before where you just have it piled up. I dont see why also some folks feel threatened about the wildlife. This could be a win-win situation for everyone if simple standards are implemented.
Seems to be very slanted article against Dart…they are most likely on the verge of solving the bottleneck problems and you seem to want to stir up shit against them? CIG would never have solved this on their own.
Why are you people calling it an underpass? Its a pedestrian bridge over a road in the rest of the world!
Because it passes “under” the pedestrian “overpass”
Because we are Wombling free!
its still technically an UNDERPASS lol
so we also have two other underpasses, 1 at the Ritz & 1 at Beach Suites (Hyatt)
yes and we need many more
Plus this is going to be a majorly free homeless shelter. Good luck with this white elephant. What about flooding?
Oh yeah. Flooding. Great point. Dart probably never thought of that. After all they’ve only built an entire new town, multiple roads, parks, playing fields, schools,…… Maybe you should think before you type.
You make it sound like sheltering the homeless is a bad thing.
Did anyone overview the road markings and consider the placement before they did this? At least two will suggest to those not familiar with round abouts that it’s ok to turn right! Crash bang whallop come Monday……
Can’t wait for Monday. Blessed to live in West.
and we would be blessed if you stayed there.
The newest in a growing list of lawless traffic venues. Every unmuffled Honda and street bike, and every dump truck and taxi with a “special horn” are going to be drawn to these tunnels and use them as their personal race track, simply because there seem to be neither RCIPS traffic officers nor functional police strategies to deal with the lawlessness. It is going to be audible for miles.
Oh yes! Where I come from maxing the revs out through a tunnel like this was always called, ‘Giving it the note!’ It’s going to howl in the evenings 🙂
Good luck with this. Roundabouts are so bloody simple to use yet every day people manage to do it wrong! Quite simply all traffic on the roundabout takes precedence on all traffic waiting to enter. Therefore if I am signaling left to exit, do not try to slip in on my inside and then be surprised when there is no road. Just wait your damn turn.
Use that thing on your steering column that tells other drivers what you intend to do, and put down the phone!
I truly believe that you need overhead gantrys with arrows indicating which lane to get in.
Just watch Chevy Chase’s European Vacation, he spent all day going round and round!
There is one blaring sign that Dart is from the US and not from the UK in these press releases: the use of the word “signal” rather than the UK word “indicate” says it all.
You need to get out more.
So?
And so what?
Sorry but you are wrong. Whilst admittedly we use the word ‘indicate’ we also use ‘signal’. Since the 80’s/90’s we have had a saying that was drilled into me by my driving instructor…
MIRROR,SIGNAL, MANOEUVRE: https://www.safedrivingforlife.info/blog/mirror-signal-manoeuvre-learner-driver
If only half the drivers on Cayman’s roads could learn this our roads would already be much safer.
I uses my trafficator Bo Bo!
indicate when you approach, are on and leaving roundabout…..
problem solved.
Good luck with that. In Cayman right of way is determined by the size of your vehicle and your aggressive, ignorant driving.
There is no law enforcement on the roads.
2.32pm So that is the way you do it.Ok.
How many accidents so far?
Bloody hell, there’s gonna be trouble!
I predict so many accidents in this round about starting on Monday. People have issues driving in a two lane roundabout. A six exit 3 lane one? Lol so many car pileups soon come.
And then enter tourists, stoping mid way to give way to traffic or driving the wrong way.
This is going to be hilarious when the clowns on this island try to work this one out. They can’t even handle a mini roundabout with one entry lane, or any other simple road rule for that matter.
Your right 1 lane roundabout is difficult for these muppets, 2 nearly impossible, 3 I can only guess!
Yeah. Similar to the Brits not understanding one does not put flammable material on….ANY building!!!!
Poor taste comment. Not funny at all.
Lmao true
Lmfao. Is that a veyron in the pic?
No, it’s an Audi R8 coupe. All three are Audi’s.
Beautiful VAG (Volkswagen Auto Group) cars…which also owns the Bugatti Veyron and Chiron.
Audi
Audi tenant plug
No that’s 3 audi R8 spyders
you really thought that was a Bugatti come one now…. tisk tisk