Challenges of modernizing Mauritius’ road infrastructure

Eben was completely paralyzed when a truck carrying fuel overturned at the Beltel roundabout on Wednesday afternoon. The accident forced authorities to close the Verdun Link Road, This caused serious traffic jams that lasted for hours. With more than 600,000 vehicles on Mauritius roads, road traffic is becoming increasingly dense. In order to cope with the increasing number of vehicles, Road Traffic Congestion Relief Plan There are plans to build new roads and improve existing routes to ease traffic.

However, whenever an accident occurs on the highway, traffic is still severely congested, exposing loopholes in road accident management. After this accident, the Red Land/Verdun route was closed, causing severe traffic congestion, and we want to know: Is there a contingency plan to manage this situation and minimize inconvenience to road users?

To ease road congestion and facilitate mobility for citizens, several major projects were implemented this year, including the Sir Anerud Jagnath (SAJ) Bridge and the new Holyrood Bridge. The SAJ Bridge, a 330-meter-long highway that crosses the Grande-Rivière-North-West valley, connecting Chebel and Sorèze, was inaugurated this year. The project aims to reduce travel time, save fuel and ease traffic problems. On the other hand, the Holyrood Bridge, which was recently inaugurated in Vacos, connects the West with the Plains-Williams region. The bridge, built at a cost of Rs 60 million, improves the alignment of the road and allows safe passage of traffic in both directions, including heavy vehicles. It replaces the old bridge built in 1876, which was only 2.9 meters wide and caused severe traffic congestion during peak hours. Meanwhile, the Road Development Authority (RDA) has launched a tender for consultancy services for the construction of the M4 Expressway (Phase III) from Bel-Air to Grand Bel-Air. The move aims to further improve the road network and meet the island’s growing travel needs.

Despite these advances, traffic management during major incidents, such as the recent truck rollover, remains challenging. “The idea is to connect the entire island with a modern highway network,” Shanmuga Allagapen, press officer at the Ministry of National Infrastructure, explained that as part of the plan, several projects have been implemented. Road traffic congestion relief plan, There are others coming soon, notably the M4, which will connect Forbach with the airport, the M5, which will connect the southern villages with the airport, and the M6, which will connect the south with the west via its southern section. “Once all these projects are operational, connectivity will be improved and traffic will always flow smoothly as long as the number of vehicles on the roads decreases.” However, despite the construction of new roads, the number of vehicles continues to increase, reaching about 200 vehicles per kilometer, which is twice the international standard. “If we don’t reduce the number of vehicles, although traffic problems will ease, there will still be congestion during peak hours.” he added, noting that only travel time would be slightly reduced.

According to him, Skybridge Quai D and Pont Fer have already been replaced, while the quays at Wooton and Terre-Rouge are currently under construction. Skybridge Construction is also planned in Camp-Fouquereaux, Labourdonnais and Baie-du-Tombeau. Skybridge The d’Ébène was widened from two to four lanes, allowing motorists to cross the Ebène roundabout and directly enter Rose-Hill. In addition, the A1-M1 bridge connects to the east, while the Link Road in La Vigie leads to Flic-en-Flac. “Our goal is to create a better traffic flow and minimize conflicts at the intersection,” Shanmuga Allagapen explains.

If a major accident occurs on a highway, strict protocols must be followed to avoid any risk of explosion, as was the case with this recent tanker truck accident. Press officers point out that alternative routes exist in Mauritius, depending on where the motorist is located. However, in the middle of a highway, the situation is more complicated. “It is a case-by-case question because everything depends on the type of vehicle involved, the severity of the accident and how quickly the authorities intervene to clear the road,” He added.

Towards a SMS alert system

Last Wednesday, police had to redouble their efforts to find alternative routes after the road was closed. Verdun connecting road. Inspector General of Police Ashok Matar believes that it is time to set up an SMS alert system to quickly inform road users about available diversion routes, thereby ensuring reduction in traffic congestion.

“Due to the terrain, we had to close the road and find a diversion route, which caused a lot of inconvenience. The operation to remove the truck took a long time. He explained that while police regularly conduct simulations, the fact that the accident occurred during rush hour and in a prime location amplified its impact. “It is vital to improve our communication methods, including text message alerts, as some people do not listen to the radio. This will make them aware of alternative routes. However, the accidents occurred at hotspots connecting different districts and diversions were often at least two kilometres from the accident site, making them complex to manage, he added. “We have diversion plans in place but this is a particularly difficult fuel spill,” He designated and “In the event of a leak, we must work with other authorities such as the fire brigade and follow strict protocols to ensure that no vehicles or pedestrians are within the safe perimeter except for ‘fully equipped intervention’.

A civil engineer working in the private sector in Mauritius with many years of experience in road traffic design lamented that a single accident could paralyze the entire country, and that solutions to avoid such traffic jams exist. He believes that there are two effective methods that can be implemented.

The first one consists in the immediate management of traffic alternatives without closing all axes. “If there is an incident on the track, traffic can be reorganized, as was done in the morning,” He explained. “For example, we could use mobile guardrails on a motorway to transform a downhill lane into an uphill lane. This would allow traffic to be managed without blocking it for kilometres. Currently, we are still stuck because the slides are fixed.”

The second solution proposed was to hold regular meetings to develop an effective major incident mitigation plan. “We need a contingency plan to avoid huge traffic jams, such as a dedicated team to quickly clear all obstacles,” He added.

He acknowledged that most roads in Mauritius were well designed but stressed that some improvements were still needed. “We still improved the road network in Mauritius, but we can definitely do better.”