Contractor denies blame for Carifesta Ave defects

Contractor H Nauth and Sons, which worked on upgrading Carifesta Avenue, is not accepting blame for the current defects that have been appearing along the road.

Speaking to Stabroek News yesterday, a spokesperson from the company, who did not want to be named, explained that its contract only covered overlaying the road that was already there, while the median and installation of the lights would have been done by Dynamic Engineering.

“We weren’t required to do the groundwork. It wasn’t our construction responsibility, since we were only responsible for overlaying… What happens under the surface is not our problem,” the source said.

The man also pointed out that the faults and depressions along the road were only developing around the base of the street lights that were installed by Dynamic Engineering and he suggested that they might be the reason why the road’s structural integrity is now being exposed.

“They were supposed to re-compact wherever was dug and all we had to do was the overlay. What happens under the surface is not our problem,” the man said, while stating that H Nauth and Sons should not be blamed for the defects. “We did our best on the road,” he added.

Stabroek News called Dynamic Engineering several times but was unable to speak with the manager for a comment.

Concerns were raised about the structural integrity of the road after several small holes started developing over the past few months.

While the contractor is repairing the holes as they appear, one, which continues to sink further, still currently sits on top of the southern carriageway of the road and it has been impeding the flow of traffic. Stabroek News noticed some six holes, some of which that have already been fixed and some that are now forming.

Stabroek News was told by an official at the Ministry of Public Infrastructure that the holes might have been caused by the inclement weather but the ministry was still going to do an investigation to ensure that the problem is not serious. The official had also confirmed that the contractor has been doing all of the remedial works for the road.