ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Police officers attached to the Traffic Department will man the junctions during the AM and PM rush hours until the Ministry of Public Works is able to replace the control systems in traffic lights across the country.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Public Works Walter Christopher said a request was made, and his department received commitment from the Royal Police Force to assist motorists, particularly at the junctions at Old Parham Road and Sir George Walter Highway and Cross and Bishopgate Streets.

“The controllers in all of the lights are obsolete. They are 15 to 20 years old, and they all have to be replaced, but because they have to be custom made, it will take six-to-eight weeks, so the police will assist in the meantime,” Christopher said.

The permanent secretary said technicians at Public Works routinely reprogramme the lights while they await the new parts, but the systems at the aforementioned junctions are so dire that the measure no longer works.

“The brain of those systems is gone, so they are not taking the programming anymore,” Christopher said.

The permanent secretary apologised to motorists and pedestrians for the inconvenience, and he urged them to exercise due care and caution.