The long-awaited rehabilitation works to Casuarina Drive, Watooka, Linden are expected to commence shortly following the award of a $6.9 million contract to Sukram and Associates.
And a contract of $5-6 million will be awarded shortly for the drains along the road.
Recently employees of the Linden Hospital Complex, taxi drivers and residents of Watooka, Fair’s Rust and Richmond Hill had blocked the road during a protest action calling for immediate works to be done to the road.
The road is riddled with pot holes and slush, making it almost impassable. Nurses had complained of falling at the entrance of the LHC and on numerous occasions patients entering and leaving the facility suffered falls owing to the state of the road.
The day following the protest, attempts were made to drain the water from the road. “That didn’t make much sense because in less than 24 hours it was back to square one,” said an LHC staff member.
Contacted yesterday Regional Chairman Kuice Sharma Solomon confirmed that a contract was awarded to Sukram and Associates in the sum of $6.9 million for the rehabilitation of the road.
“In fact I know for sure some monies was already released to the contractor and they have started mobilization to get the work going very soon,” said Solomon.
He noted that the contract for the repair of the adjoining drains estimated at six or five million dollars is yet to be awarded.
“Yesterday that contract should have been awarded but my information says that it is likely before the end of the week,” said Solomon.
The worst patches along the stretch of the road from the entrance of the LHC to the Watooka Primary on Casuarina Drive were temporarily repaired through self-help by residents and members of the Praise Tabernacle Assembly of God Church under pastor Selwyn Sills.
“That was a good piece of work because at least for the past week or so we getting to drive there with some level of ease,” said a taxi driver.
Another said, “They have to speed up and get the real thing done now because the lil thing deh do deh wearing away and by next week we deh back to square one.”
Solomon could not give a definite date when the works are expected to start on the road but he is confident that it will be soon.
Casuarina Drive is the main access road to the LHC, the Watooka Guest House, and Watooka Nursery and Primary Schools. It is the passage way to Fair’s Rust, Richmond Hill, Nottingham-shire, Coomacka Mines, Ituni, Kwakwani and other Upper Berbice and Upper Demerara River communities in Region 10.
