Sections of Corentyne Highway deteriorating less than a year after completion

Jun 25, 2012 News

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By Leon Suseran

The upper portions of the (Upper) Corentyne Highway, which was built less a year ago, have started to deteriorate. This revelation was made by Region Six Chairman, David Armogan.
He said that the deteriorating roadway exists between the Number 74-76 Villages area. The road works were carried out by H. Nauth and Sons.
Armogan has written to the Minister of Works and Communication “pointing out that the contractor needs to go back and do remedial work on that section of the road”. Several attempts to contact H. Nauth & Sons proved futile.
The Corentyne highway was resurfaced in phases and completed by two different contractors; BK International and H. Nauth and son.
The latter company resurfaced the portion of the road that is deteriorating.
Presently it has developed many holes.
“I suspect they will take action to ensure that (work) is done because it doesn’t make sense spending all that money— do a road last year— and that is not DBST and crusher run, that is bitumen road and it should have been done in a good way and therefore, in my own opinion, the contractor should go back there and do remedial works— it’s not good enough at all,” Armogan declared.

EAST AND WEST CANJE ROADS
Speaking about the East and West Canje roads, the Regional Chairman said that these have been, for most part, completed. However, there are some minor works to be done.
Armogan said that the contractor, H. Nauth & Sons Civil Engineering Contractors has informed him that they are working assiduously to complete all the works so that the two roads can be handed over to the government and the people of those areas.
The US$8.5M project was negatively impacted throughout the past 18 months by unpredictable heavy rainfalls which stalled the workers from progressing at the usual pace.
While several delays were encountered before the initial project completion date, the road at West Canje, Berbice, was completed on schedule.
The entire project deadline had initially been extended due to difficulties encountered surrounding the inclement weather patterns and the deadline has been further extended to the end of June 2012, which Armogan said will be met.
“Almost the entire roadway in the West Canje is completed; in terms of the 14-kilometre long East Canje, a substantial part of that road has been completed as well. Now presently, they are working in the New Forest area because the road is going straight down into New Forest— and right now H. Nauth & Sons are in that area.”
Street lights have also been installed by Cummings Electrical Services Limited on the two roadways and Armogan said that they will be switched on as soon as the roads are handed over.
He added that both roads are part of the same contract. Walkways have also been constructed on both roadways so that pedestrians can move with ease.
Armogan is appealing to residents to care the roads and warned against its use by combines that are designed for the rice field.
“Those are the things that can cause serious destruction to the road, so in as much as we are spending large sums of monies to make the road, we have to appeal to our people to ensure they care the road.”

BLACK BUSH POLDER
At Black Bush Polder on the Corentyne, BK Construction “is undergoing road works there and they were supposed to have completed the work already by May of this year, but because of inclement weather conditions and other factors, they have asked for an extension up to October this year.”

Armogan does not believe this deadline would be met. “From my observation— I have been going into Black Bush fairly regularly, almost every two weeks— and from the works I have seen there, I have my own doubts that it will be completed by the end of October.”
In that regard, he said that government can enact a penalty against the contractor for failing to meet the deadline on several occasions.
“They could if they want to, but BK has assured us that he is progressing with all the speed that he can, despite all the weather conditions and he is hopeful that it will be finished by the end of October.” The Black Bush Polder 25-mile stretch of roadway does not come with light fixtures.
“Different funding agencies have different kinds of things that go with their funding and the Inter- American Development Bank (IDB) has been doing lights when they do their roads.”
The contractor, BK International had written to the Ministry of Public Works last November asking for another extension to the April 4 deadline.
But Armogan did say that 60 percent of the roadway in Black Bush polder has been completed as at last April.
The US$6.6M project has seen several delays and residents, especially farmers in Black Bush are wondering if the road will ever be completed.
It should be noted that while the contractor was executing works, it was observed that beneath the existing roadway there were wooden culverts, which farmers utilized to drain their rice fields.
As such, April 2012 was the new date given to facilitate the installation of 80 pipe culverts, which were not in the initial design, along the 34.5 kilometres (km) of roadway.
To date, the contractor has installed 52 pipe culverts, erected five concrete bridges and constructed 16.5 km of roadways.
During a visit to the Region on April 5, President Donald Ramotar and Minister of Works, Robeson Benn toured the Black Bush Polder Road to inspect the ongoing works.
At a press conference after that tour, Ramotar assured the contractors are working very hard to catch up… “and we looked at some areas where remedial works had to be done.”
“It (the road) should have been completed in April; that was the original schedule but I’ve seen they have revised the finishing time for the road to November this year…so I am very optimistic they will finish the extension this November and we hope that this will be a very good road for the people of Black Bush and I will check it back in November.”

EAST BANK BERBICE ROAD
Speaking about the contentious East Bank Berbice roadway where the deplorable conditions had residents in an uproar a few months ago, Armogan said that he has been in regular contact with the Minister of Works and President Donald Ramotar.
Up to last Friday, he said he and Ramotar discussed the road and there were t be further discussions with Minister Benn “to move quickly to get the road done because in my own opinion, I feel that we are taking a bit too long to move on that road..and the president also feels the same way.”
Armogan noted that funds are being acquired (besides what the Region 6 Administration has), and “Minister Benn, when they looked at the road, said it might be insufficient to do the road in a good way, so they were looking to a funding agency to combine with what funds we have to get the road going but those things take time and the people don’t have the patience and quite rightfully because the road is very bad and they shouldn’t be exercising too much patience, because it is creating serious havoc for them, serious inconveniences for them and their family so we are insisting at the regional level— and I also know the president is supporting us— to have a new road immediately.”

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