Dear Editor,
Since April 2, 2015, the northern carriage of a bridge at Liliendaal on the Railway Embankment was blocked off to vehicular traffic. It seems as if the surface of that section was scraped away and the material removed was just piled on top. As a result, only the southern half is accessible to vehicular traffic. It is now seven weeks on and works have not commenced to effect any repairs. In fact, the site is the same as on the first day.
The Railway Embankment is used by a wide cross-section of Guyana, mainly by East Coast residents, persons accessing the University of Guyana and also workers of Caricom, amongst others. I use this road every weekday to drop/pick up my daughter to/from the University of Guyana, thus I am usually caught in the peak hour traffic. In the mornings, the lane is one-way going west so the wait is not so long, however, we have to look out for those arrogant drivers who do not toe the line but try to force their way through the traffic. In the afternoons, it is chaotic since there is traffic in both lanes. Sometimes the line is so long, drivers are forced to turn back and use the Rupert Craig Highway.
My questions to the responsible authorities are as follows:
- Why would you close off a section of a main road for seven weeks if you have no intention to do any repairs?
- Why is a police officer not on duty to direct traffic during peak hours? This would greatly improve the free flow of traffic.
- I noticed signs along the Embankment reading “No trucks allowed, bridges under repair,” however, I have personally seen trucks still using that road. What is the purpose of the signs?
I hope by bringing this matter to the public’s attention, the responsible authorities would look into this and some action would be taken. Let us not wait for an accident to occur; let us do the work we are being paid for by the taxpayers.
Yours faithfully,
Jennie Charran