Georgetown: Inclement weather and abuse by truckers were cited as the two main reasons that have led to the deterioration of the access road which links Port Kaituma and Matthews Ridge at Region One (Barima-Waini). This assertion has been made by Chief Roads Engineer of the Ministry of Public Works, Mr. Leon Goring, through a statement issued by the Government Information Agency (GINA). Caribbean Trakker had earlier highlighted the deplorable state of the road recently revealing that drivers utilizing it were concerned about its state. Accessing the approximately 30-mile long loam road comes at a toll cost of $5,000 to buses and land cruisers, $12,000 for trucks and $75,000 for excavators and these vehicles usually become stuck for several hours until assistance comes along.
Minister of Public Works Robeson Benn in an invited comment Monday said that while he is not aware of the condition of the road or the dilemma faced by the residents who access it, he intends to investigate their concerns. “What I do know is that there have been a lot of rainfalls recently and they have been using the road and we have been losing portions of it as a result. I am personally not aware of the situation but I will ask my people to look into it,” the Minister told this publication.
Goring revealed that based on information received from Superintendent of Works, Cy Rodrigues, at least 50 percent of the works have been completed on the Matthews Ridge to Port Kaituma roadway. He explained that a contract valued at $50M was awarded to the Reunion Maganese Company to execute maintenance and rehabilitation works to the road. However, he revealed that only the portion of road from Matthews Ridge to the Eclipse Falls Bridge has been completed.
According to Goring sections of the road are deteriorated due to inclement weather and abuse to the road by truckers. “Works to this road cannot yet be executed because of the inclement weather being experienced in this area,” he added. He pointed out that while contractors in the area are doing their best to ensure that the Region is outfitted with proper road networks, truckers in the area are not doing their bit to assist the ministry but rather they are working against them by overloading their vehicles. “The ministry would like to highlight that truckers, despite heavy rainfall continue to overload their two-axle trucks and utilize the roadway in a manner that causes rippage…the contractor has been complaining about this situation because as fast they repair the roads and overlay it, the trucks damage them,” Goring said.
Given the advanced deplorable state of the road, drivers had earlier this month planned to blockade the thoroughfare but were advised by police officials to refrain from such action. However, they had issued an appeal for the relevant authorities to address the state of the access road.
However, disgust and frustration relating to the deplorable road was raised to an all time high on Monday with protest action being orchestrated by the road users including teachers, parents and drivers. The concerns were amplified in light of the fact that the road was becoming an even greater concern and a growing challenge to access, especially for students who are forced to trek its slushy surface to get to the Port Kaituma Primary School, creating an alarming insanitary condition.
Pointing to the development of the road programme in the Matthews Ridge/Port Kaituma area, Goring said that a road from Matthews Ridge to Baramita was established but truckers plying the route caused severe damage to the thoroughfare. “Persons fail to realise that due to poor road usage habits, it is difficult for the ministry to maintain the roads… you cannot expect to misuse/abuse a road and expect it to be in pristine condition all year round,” Goring asserted.
Moreover, the Ministry is currently engaging the attention of all the necessary stakeholders to have an imposed road user’s agreement with all parties who move heavy-duty equipment in the area. The Ministry is proposing that such an agreement be signed by each trucker and that only licensed drivers be allowed to ply the route with the correct weighting on vehicles. The agreement, Goring said, will also encompass a clause to restrict the use of heavy duty vehicles when it rains. As Government continues to invest in the transformation of its road networks to a modernized one, hinterland communities are not being left out, he noted, even as he alluded to the fact that during 2011 more than $800M was budgeted for the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of hinterland roads under the Ministry’s Hinterland Roads Programme. The programme, he said, saw works being executed at a number of locations.
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