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Bougainvillea residents say roadway too close to homes
E.B.D public road extension…
Residents of ‘gated community’, Bougainvillea, neighbouring the East Bank Public Road, are worried that their safety and living conditions may be compromised by the expansion of the roadway closer to their homes.
Even after attending meetings hosted by Public Works Ministry prior to the commencement of construction works, noise pollution, flooding, and vulnerability to vehicular accidents are still some concerns of residents.
Construction on this section of the roadway starts from Providence and ends at Prospect. Currently, physical works that primarily target the filling of trenches to create the new carriageway are ongoing at Farm and Herstelling.
Residents claimed that their fears raised at those meetings came to light when construction works began. They noted that the noticeable proximity of the widening works to their community fence is worrisome, especially with increasing accidents on the roadway.
“With the way how drivers driving on the roadway it is not impossible for someone to veer off the roadway and smash into these people house and even the community…Look at what happened in Bagotstown (East Bank Demerara) last year when car flew into that house…A major highway like this should not be near houses,” a resident lamented.
Though a Public Works Ministry engineer who spoke to Kaieteur News could not have provided the exact distance between the community and the roadway, he did confirm that the stretch will have two driving lanes, parking shoulders, sidewalks, drainage and the community fence.
Commenting on road space to install sidewalks and parking areas, the engineer said that in certain sections of the carriageway the centre line changes, providing adequate width for pedestrians to walk. It was noted that the community will benefit from a concrete fence replacing the existing white picket fence.
According to a resident, living near the public road where sand trucks traverse in the wee hours of the morning on a daily basis is disturbing. He said that with the road being moved closer to the community the sounds of the horns and vibrations would amplify.
East Bank Four-lane Road widening closeness to community fence worries residents
Another major concern of residents is drainage. As a substitute to canals that have been blocked, four small pipe culverts have been installed behind the community. Residents emphasized that this is inadequate and that internal waterways are becoming stagnant. This, they pointed out is harmful since there is an increased presence of mosquitoes in the area.
They are also questioning what will become of the major drain since that is being filled to enable extension of the road.
According to the engineer, a drain with sufficient depth and width will remain near the public road. However, behind the community there will be a major drain that will be used to store water. He added that the excess water would flow to the front drain.
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