By Lazeena Yearwood
The Ministry of Housing and Water has committed $67 million to repair three roads that are in a deplorable state in South Ruimveldt, Georgetown.
The commitment was made by subject minister Collin Croal during a meeting with residents at David Rose Street, South Ruimveldt on Monday evening.
The streets that will be repaired are David Rose Street, Greenheart Street and Caneview Avenue and it is expected to be completed by the end of July.
“Our commitment here this afternoon is to let you know that we will be investing a minimum of $67 million to make David Rose Street, Greenheart Street and Caneview Avenue back into a state of the asphaltic road. The preparatory works will commence in the new week and so by the end of July we will expect that you will have a new asphaltic road here.”
Croal decided to meet with the residents following a barrage of complaints about the state of the road recently; the residents had blamed contractors for damaging the roads with their heavy-duty vehicles.
“We said to you in May last year, we engaged you and committed to you that once the infrastructural work is finished, we will come back and reinstate your street to the state that it was minimally, but in a better position,” the Housing Minister told residents.
These streets will be made into asphaltic roads from their deteriorated state. But residents questioned the reason for this given the fact that the roads are originally concrete.
In response, Senior Engineer at the Housing Ministry, Marvin Marks explained that asphaltic concrete will be done in a phased manner to reconstruct damages by levels.
He further noted that this material was chosen so that the community could benefit during the construction phase since the concrete cannot be used until all work is completed.
Residents had indicated that the roads were damaged by the contractors of the Mandela to Eccles highway. As such, Croal thanked the community for their patience with the government during that construction phase.
Residents also raised the issue of the narrowness of the streets and the drainage issues they face. The residents asked that the ministry widen the roads and when building the drains, that they consider the ‘runoff’ of the water, taking into consideration the rainy season.
In response, Croal said that the concerns about drainage will be mentioned to the contractor prior to the commencement of work.
He also noted that the comments, recommendations and observations have been noted and the ministry will examine them before consultations are held again.
The Housing Minister committed to engaging other ministries about the issues facing the community’s playfield, which was among the concerns raised by residents on Monday.
Meanwhile, Croal also noted that a network of drains will be done along the streets and consultations will be held with residents in this regard.
