A road works team, which had been placed along a section of the Lethem trail for maintenance, was recently removed from the area for dereliction of duty.
Reports are that the team, which had been placed along the roadway late last year to upgrade and maintain the roadway between the Kuru-pukari Crossing and Lethem, was removed after inspections by the Works Ministry found that scheduled works were not completed.
Region Nine Chairman Clarendo Lucas told Stabroek News recently that while he could not pronounce on works associated with the road, teams from the Works Minis-try had been assessing the condition of the road.
An official at Lethem told this newspaper recently that the team of workers was being paid to recap the roadway as well as install culverts where necessary, since the low-lying roadway had been prone to flooding associated with the rainy season.
He said that several weeks ago the team was moved to an area along the Karasabai main road, which connects the latter community with satellite villages in the area, including Monkey Mountain. It remained unclear whether the team would have been replaced.
During a recent visit to the area, this newspaper observed several unused culverts along the sides of the Hunt Oil Road. Bus operators noted that while a few culverts were installed along key sections of the trail, several remained on the road shoulders. A bus operator said during the visit that some three to four miles along the Hunt Oil Road had been in a deplorable state for most of last year, resulting in traffic grinding to a halt there. He said that generally the area would be flooded during the rainy season, as water would flow down from the mountains and into the lowlands in proximity to the roadway.
He said that the road should have been built up and adequate drainage should have been put in place to prevent a recurrence of the situation which occurred between July to September in the area.
Other sections of the trail had been in a good condition but bus operators, the main users of the roadway, said that whenever it rains the road’s condition deteriorates, making it difficult to traverse, especially at nights. It was noted too that closer to Lethem, several “scrubbing board” sections have been a major bugbear for motorists as miles of small potholes filled the roadway there.
Closer to the Kurupukari Crossing at Corkwood, another section of the thoroughfare located approximately 10 miles south of the crossing close to the Iwokrama Reserve, and which had been a cause for concern during the rainy season last year, was in a dry state last week. That section of the road, which lies close to a ravine, had been hard hit by the rains last July as vehicles were unable to pass through thick slush that prevailed. That section of the trail has been maintained annually by the Mekdeci Mining Company (MMC).
On the northern side of the Kurupukari Crossing, several craters and small potholes have been making travel on the trail uncomfortable and according to a bus operator, that section could become “dangerous” whenever it rains heavily there, as the area is generally hilly. Last week, teams of workers occupied miles of the road south of Mabura, carrying out works in the laying of the government’s fibre optic cable, which will connect to Brazil.
The Brazilians had presented a proposal to the authorities in September last year to upgrade the roadway connecting the Coastland to the Rupununi but to date nothing has been made public by the administration on the issue. Recently, residents at Lethem told this newspaper that the road has and will continue to be a main concern since it is seen a vital link for trade between the coastland and the savannah area.
In mid-2010, heavy traffic along the Hunt Oil Road was banned for several days as works teams scurried to implement emergency measures after severe deterioration. Residents at Lethem noted last week that the roadway was in dire need of a comprehensive upgrade and many questioned whether the administration will consider the Brazilians’ proposal to upgrade the roadway, with some noting that nervous times lay ahead.
