Following the unusual development of a bulge on Red Road, Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD), the Public Works Ministry is continuing works to fix the damaged roadway by redistributing some of the stockpile aggregates across different contractors.
On Thursday, a bulge between six and eight feet rose on Red Road, due to what the Public Works Ministry determined to be a result of the weight of the stockpile of aggregates on the extension of the parking lot of the stadium.
During a press briefing on Friday, Public Works Minister Bishop Juan Edghill noted that four contractors–E.C. Vieira Investments Ltd, AJM Enterprises, Excel Engineering and GuyAmerica Construction–helped to redistribute the weight of the stockpile to decrease its pressure.
“We have since been able to arrange orders with contractors who need urgent supply of crusher run. [On Friday], we expect to move about 9000 out of the 30,000 tonnes off site,” Edghill said.
“There are four contractors actively engaged in government contracts that need crusher run. We have our auditors on site and there is a scale in the compound. So, everything has been documented and that operation of loading of trucks and moving off site has been continuing,” Edghill said.
Some 150 metres of road were destroyed as the total tonnage of aggregates in the stockpile amounted to 30,000.
Given the magnitude of the damage, Edghill was unable to give a specific timeline for its completion or an overall cost of the operation, but noted his intention to complete it “in the shortest possible time.”
To safely implement this project, the Ministry engaged with Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Co. Ltd (GTT) to remove the fibre optic cables under the roadway and the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) to ensure water supply is not affected.
Minister Edghill noted that Excel Engineering and GuyAmerica Construction will be handling the reconstruction of this damaged road.
“It is clear that in the first instance, we’ll be seeking to get the road rehabilitated and restored so that we could have traffic. But even before this event, there were some development plans,” Edghill said.
“We want to be able to execute a turning lane so that the traffic doesn’t have to be backed up when you’re turning in, and widening the bridge. So, I have asked my team to look at the possibility of how we can get that done at the same time while we’re having this current inconvenience, to execute those works,” Edghill said.
As these repairs continue, Minister Edghill urged pedestrians to avoid using the roadway as it presents significant safety risks.
“The fact that people are still walking in and out is a major safety concern for us at the Ministry of Public Works, as well as the contractors on site. We would love to have a remedy where there could be an alternative, [but] people are still choosing to go to the Eastern East Bank Highway as opposed to going the other way, so we have to get that remedied,” Edghill said.
Due to a shortage of crusher run in the country, this stockpile of aggregates was generated by the Public Works Ministry, whereby they distribute aggregates across various government projects accordingly.
However, Edghill noted that this Red Road experience is prompting the Ministry to reevaluate the level of tonnage that can be stored in stockpile yards.
“I guess we have to now put some closer monitoring and regulations on how much weight and how much tonnage we can put in a stockpile yard., and depending on where that is located,” Edghill said.
