Beetham Highway

Beetham Highway
Route information
Length	4.8 km (3.0 mi)
Existed	1956–present
Major junctions
West end	Downtown Port of Spain
East end	Barataria
Location
Country	Trinidad and Tobago
Major cities	Port of Spain
Highway system
Transport in Trinidad and Tobago

The Beetham Highway is a major highway in Trinidad and Tobago. It runs from downtown Port of Spain where it meets Wrightson Road to Barataria (where it connects with the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway). It was constructed between 1955 and 1956.

The highway was named for former Governor Sir Edward Betham Beetham. In January 2009, world boxing champion Giselle Salandy died after a car crash at Beetham Highway.

Description

Route

The highway is fairly short, running for only 4.8 km from Barataria to Port of Spain. The highway runs alongside Beetham Gardens, an economically depressed area that is the source of many incidents on the highway. It is bounded to the south by the Caroni Swamp and Beetham Landfill.

Features

The Beetham Highway is a six lane freeway with 2 notable grade separated interchanges at Barataria and St. Joseph Road, the latter of which serves as a direct connection to Independence Square. The other two intersections on the highway are at Central Market and Broadway.

Exit List

The following table lists the major junctions along the Beetham Highway. The entire route is located in Trinidad.

Region	Location	Km	Mile	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Port of Spain		0.0	0.0	—	Wrightson Road  – Port of Spain General Hospital	Western terminus; Continuation from Port of Spain
		0.1	0.062	1	Broadway	Traffic Lights
		0.4	0.25	2	Pioneer Drive	Westbound access only
San Juan–Laventille	Port of Spain	0.6	0.37	3	Production Drive, Abattoir Road	Traffic Lights
		1.3	0.81	4	Saint Joseph Road	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		3.1	1.9	5	Beetham Landfill	Westbound access only
	San Juan	4.8	3.0	—	Churchill Roosevelt Highway  – Tunapuna, Arima, Sangre Grande  – Piarco International Airport	Eastern Terminus; freeway continues east into San Juan–Laventille as the Churchill Roosevelt Highway
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Closed/former       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access        Tolled       Route transition       Unopened

Incidents

On 4 July 2022, a large blockage occurred on the highway due to protests against a police related shooting that resulted in the deaths of three residents. The Eastern Main Road, Priority Bus Route and Lady Young Road were blocked concurrently.

References

• Anthony, Michael (2001). Historical Dictionary of Trinidad and Tobago. Scarecrow Press, Inc. Lanham, Md., and London. ISBN 0-8108-3173-2.