The breach at Kairuni on the Linden/Soesdyke Highway that occurred over the weekend has been fixed, and the Regional Chairman Renis Morian is calling on the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) to put systems in place to prevent large trucks from driving over the curb walls along the highway.
Due to the heavy rainfall on Friday, a section of the side of the Kairuni road on the Linden Highway caved in, creating a major problem for drivers traversing the thoroughfare. However, according to Morian, swift action by the MPI on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, ensured that the roadway is now safe for drivers again. “It has been sealed, since there were Ministry workers during the Christmas [Day] and Boxing Day working there,” he said, while pointing out that the breach is not an uncommon occurrence. He explained that during heavy rainfall, once a piece of the curb wall moves and water finds its way through, it easily collapses. “The whole place would wash away, and since the rain kept on throughout the weekend, there have been other breaches around the highway,” he told Stabroek News.
Morian explained that heavy trucks driving over the curb walls is one of the main causes for the frequent collapses of the sides of the highway.
“The people who run sand trucks and who turn off of the highway are destroying it, because they drive over the curb wall and once that breaks, the water will get it. The trucks that are driving off the highway and going into sand pits are doing great damage, and it’s left to the Ministry to be repairing over and over again,” Morian stressed, stating that he will urge the Ministry to put up signs, and put other systems in place to restrict the trucks from turning. He pointed out that sometimes the trucks park with two wheels off and two wheels on the highway, which also causes a fair amount of damage.
Since the work only took about two days to complete, Morian praised the efforts and fast response by the Ministry. “We have nurtured our relationship with the MPI, and are happy with the response time,” he said.
Additionally, he pointed out that whenever there is heavy rainfall, the works committee team from the Region usually patrols the highway, in order to be able to identify other potential faults in the road. “I have about three other breaches, and we are giving the oversight. Every time the rain falls, we usually go out and alert the Ministry of any breakages,” he said.
In an invited comment, Mayor of Linden, Carwyn Holland said that he is of the opinion that the situation should be treated as a “matter of urgency” and a team should be dispatched to assess the entire highway. “…Because if you take a slow drive and you carefully examine the edges, you will see where there are pending breaches. I believe that emergency funding should be made available to do the entire highway,” he added.
