Road works must be up to standard
-- President stresses
Guyana Chronicle
July 21, 2004
PRESIDENT Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday continued spot inspections of the massive road building/repair programmme under way along the coast and expressed concern about aspects he said were not up to standard.
He inspected bridges and roads on the East Coast Demerara where work is continuing and said while he was satisfied with the progress so far, some parts did not meet the required standard.
The President earlier this month visited sites on the East Bank Demerara where road works are also under way and urged contractors to push the programme and ease severe traffic congestion triggered by the construction.
The East Coast roads and bridges project is part of a massive capital programme across the country.
The contractor on the East Coast, Dywidag International, is also rebuilding bridges on the East Bank Demerara.
The overall project costs US$22M and covers 84 structures from Timehri to Rosignol, including two large bridges at Mahaica and Mahaicony, officials said.
Mr. Jagdeo's visit was in an effort to convey to engineers and contractors the urgency of completing the works on time because of the cost factor attached to any delay, and public inconvenience, particularly on the East Bank.
The President, speaking to engineers yesterday, stressed the importance of producing quality work.
He noted that some sections of the road, particularly the shoulders, were already failing due to poor construction.
This was evident at Non Pariel and in the Mahaica area.
However, engineers assured Mr. Jagdeo that the necessary corrective works would be done.
Mr. Rickford Lowe, Coordinator of Works Service Group in the Ministry of Public Works, who was among government officials on the visits, said the bridges along the East Coast were scheduled for completion by November, but this would have to be extended until March next year.
The contractor has encountered difficulties with the schedule for completion, he said.
Public Works Minister, Mr. Anthony Xavier, was also in the President’s touring party.
Mr. Jagdeo said if the reasons for the delay fall within the purview of the ministry or is the government's responsibility, the extension will be allowed.
If, however, the fault is with the contractors, they would have to bear responsibility, he said.
Contractors have been complaining about the shortage of bitumen and Cabinet has set up a committee to look into this problem.
The President said the committee has already had discussions and there would soon be some improvements as a result of the talks.
Mr. Jagdeo said more people should be encouraged to import bitumen and other road building materials to meet construction demands here.
"This is just the beginning of a massive construction programme, and outside of what the government is doing, I have seen a lot of dynamism in private construction so there would be a need for large quantities of materials", he said.