-repairs being done on four sections of trail
Several trucks which were stuck along the Home Oil trail of the Linden Lethem Road for two weeks have been able to enter the border community even as deteriorated sections of the road are still being repaired.
According to a release from the Public Works Ministry, on Thursday, eight trucks laden with supplies and fuel were able to traverse the poor section of the roadway and arrived at Lethem, “to alleviate concerns of critical supplies and fuel”. It was also stated that six trucks have since left the location for the city.
The Ministry added that heavy torrential rainfall has not stopped in the area and the agency urged operators of heavy trucks, tankers, containers and low and flat bed vehicles that the maximum total load capacity allowed along the roadway is 12 tons. This measure was implemented to safeguard the road from further deterioration, the release stated.
Graphic photos of the degraded sections were published in yesterday’s Stabroek News.
Areas along the road which are being fixed are:
-the Cork Wood section of the road, located approximately 178 miles from the Mabura/Rockstone Junction between Iwokrama Gate and Bush Mouth;
-the Home Oil stretch located 30 miles from Annai and extending two miles before the Meritezero Junction. The deteriorated section is approximately 10 miles;
-the Log Bridge located 30 miles from Kurupukari;
-the washout located 6 miles from the Mabura/Rockstone Junction.
Residents noted yesterday that the arrival of the trucks, though a positive sign, did not bring much relief to them as most of the supplies as well as fuel were shuttled into the area while the trucks waited for the green light to proceed along the Home Oil stretch.
A gas station operator noted that a truck transporting oil for her business arrived in the border area around 6 pm on Thursday evening but she noted that the quantity of fuel on board dwindled over the past two weeks as most of the fuel was shuttled into the area.
She said that the contractor working on the roadway reportedly allowed the drivers to proceed into Lethem after the truckers protested over not being allowed to traverse the road. She said that truck drivers were reluctant to travel back to the coast and as such she disputed reports that the six heavy vehicles had left the area.
Residents noted that heavy rains continue to drench the savannah area, with Lethem experiencing two hour-long periods of rainfall on Thursday evening.
Meanwhile, persons have noted that an alternative route could have been utilized by the regional administration to move supplies/fuel into the area. It was noted that passengers and cargo can be ferried down the Rupununi River to Annai and effectively by-passing the Home Oil stretch. An alternative road link could also be made between the trail that leads to Good Hope in the area along the highlands to the Pakaraimas. At the latter location a route can be forged to the Kurupukari Crossing.
