Work is ongoing on the Linden-Lethem road but the rain has been wreaking havoc with the maintenance, Engi-neering Coordinator of the Ministry of Public Works, Leon Goring says.
Sections of the roadway have deteriorated severely and Goring told Stabroek News yesterday that the recent heavy rains have contributed to this.
He stated that with the rainy weather in the interior no “meaningful maintenance” can be done as the rains affect the work. “We are waiting for the weather to break before any meaningful maintenance can be done”, Goring stated. The Linden-Lethem road is mainly laterite.
The current state of the road has forced the major bus service on the route; IntraServ Incorporated to suspend its operations until the conditions on the road improves. However, trucks and other vehicles have been making the trip.
The road has been divided into several sections for the purpose of maintenance. Section One runs from Wismar to Mabura Hill, Section Two is from Mabura Hill to 15 Miles before the Kurupukari Crossing and Section Three is from the 15 miles to Lethem.
The Lethem Section is maintained by the Mekdeci Machinery and Construction (MMC) Com-pany while from Mabura to 15 Miles, Demerara Timbers Limited (DTL) utilizes and maintains this section. The section from Mabura to Wismar was formerly maintained by Omai Gold Mines Limited.
Goring said that the “trouble areas” are on the Wismar to Mabura section and a section within the 15 miles before Kurupukari area. He revealed that a contract was signed with Omai last week to grade and shape the Wismar section but the rain again posed problems. “Grading operations are being done but the rain is not letting up and it’s back to square one”, he stated.
He said that DTL has been maintaining a section from Mabura Hill to the Siparuni Junction but since it is not utilizing from that section on to 15 Miles before Kurupukari, no work was done there and last week another contract was signed with MMC to maintain that stretch. Goring said that he was informed that the rains in that area have let up and work is to re-commence immediately. It was at this spot that water from a creek had flowed over the road recently but it has since receded.
The engineer said that though some work was done, the rain did not allow the repairs to make any “meaningful impression”. He noted that the work is continuous. The Public Works Ministry has also been continuously upgrading the bridges from Kurupukari to Lethem.
Meanwhile, in Lethem, the state of the roadway has not affected the area in terms of cargo getting to the border community. Past President of the Rupununi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), Daniel Gajie told Stabroek News on Friday that the community was not being affected in terms of cargo noting that trucks were still traversing on a regular basis. He said that mini-buses were also making the trip.
Gajie stated that this was not the first time this year that concern about the roadway had been expressed and noted that the savannah areas had been overtopped before. He said that weather patterns were being monitored for the next month noting that August would be critical. The businessman said that he did not believe that a stage where the road might be impassable would be reached. “If minibuses can still travel, that means the road is still in a good shape”, he said.
Gajie asserted that repairs are usually not done during the rainy season and since 2005 the Chamber had been pushing for more regular maintenance but so far has not been successful.
Meantime, Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn told Stabroek News that repairs to the road are being done constantly but the heavy rainfall had an impact on the road deteriorating. “It will be repaired”, he declared.
The Linden-Lethem road is the major roadway linking the coast to the border community and would be the only major land link which would be used by the expected heavier volume of traffic travelling to and from Georgetown, when the Takutu Bridge with Brazil opens in October.
