 This era in history is documented in Samuel Selvon’s classic novel, A Brighter Sun, where an inexperienced Indian youth is thrust headlong into the highway-building process.When the road was opened in 1942, it was the finest road in the island, being smooth and pothole free from end to end.It was not immediately asphalted, as it was pressed into service for the convoys almost as soon as the way was graded (a stark contrast to our roads today).