Dear Editor,
Most people would prefer, and it is indeed current practice, to have technical matters relating to engineering design and construction confined to technical journals of learned societies rather than aired in the public media, but in Guyana this is not necessarily accepted, not only because people love to argue in any forum, but also because engineers rarely write to reveal the broad spectrum of their professional experience. When, however, the subject relates to historical development affecting the habit of travelling or economic development, there is usually an interest which could be beneficial to professional practice and promote general enlightenment. Mr Seegobin, in his letter published in SN 28.12.09, has expressed his concerns on the Pre-feasibility Report on the Georgetown-Lethem road, a most popular subject at present, and has called for some explanations. There are some historical facts of which he may not have been aware in his reference to the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, formerly termed the Atkinson Field-Mackenzie Highway, designed and built some forty years ago. He and the public are entitled to information which exists but is not widely disseminated.
He questions whether there is a design standard manual for highways in Guyana and chides the National Development Strategy for making reference to “the same standard as the highway between Linden and Georgetown” rather than to “a perceived design manual.” The National Development Strategy was formulated by several committees, one of which was the Transport Sector prepared by personnel closely connected with different modes of transport – roads, air, rivers and ports. It was not expected to go into detail on the individual projects, but the expression ‘same standard as the Linden Highway’ was considered enough to indicate the level of achievement and standards which they knew was attained and which knowledge had been documented in the relevant ministry.
The Roads Division of the Ministry of Works and Hydraulics had prepared standards for designs of various types of road, depending on the nature of the terrain in Guyana and the climate conditions to which they were exposed. These standards formed part of an appendix to a report entitled ‘Highway Needs Studies and Road Development Plan’ which was written in 1967 by EF Clark, BJ Smodlaka and PAD. Allsopp. Clark was a Consulting Engineer attached to the Bureau of Public Roads of USA, Smodlaka was a Transport Economist from UNDP, and Allsopp was the Chief Engineer of the Roads Division. Over the years, with the depletion in numbers of the senior engineers of the Roads Division, the standards have been modified and updated, but they should still exist and could be used when required, but there have been so many interventions by different bosses that they may not be readily available, as a new Works Services Group has been formed under a different management structure.
In the case under consideration the Government of Guyana, in deference to the requirements of the aid donor, engaged a foreign consultant who, understandably, used design standards and methods to which he was accustomed. An English consultant would be influenced by the UK Transport and Road Research Laboratory, whereas an American would follow the standards of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). The Soesdyke-Linden Highway was designed by the Roads Division but modified for economic reasons by an American consultant, De Leuw Cather International, who acknowledged this in their final report. The Roads Division preferred the AASHTO design standards which they had previously adopted, largely because their Chief Engineer had been attached to the AASHTO test road in the development of a new structural design for roads.
Mr Seegobin’s concern over attention to drainage design is understandable, for there are several areas on the coast as well as in the interior, where the road is so constructed that it forms a drainage path, and is quickly eroded. However, the design of drainage cannot be standardized as it depends on the terrain, its geometric design and the materials of construction. The Soesdyke-Linden Highway is located in one of the few areas in the world where there is one hundred inches of rainfall annually in a predominantly sandy area. The drainage system for that road was tailored to suit the conditions and had to be carefully designed, as the solutions could not be found in any standard text.
The library of the University of Guyana has recently been the recipient of several compendia on design and construction of low volume roads in developing countries, prepared by the USA Highway Research Board with assistance from local representatives in various countries including Guyana. These should be available to assist in the upgrading of our standards whenever we may be ready to refine their presentation in book form.
Yours faithfully,
Philip Allsopp
