The Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) is assuring citizens of the structural soundness of Carifesta Avenue.
The assurance yesterday followed concerns after depressions developed around the base of light poles which were erected on a divider last year to coincide with a CARICOM meeting here.
In a statement following several reports in Stabroek News about the problem, MPI said the potholes, particularly those at the base of the light poles were “a result of improper compaction of the white sand that was used as backfill around the pile foundation. Due to continuous and heavy traffic, the sand had begun settling, thus causing cavities to develop in the median and water to enter it. As a result, the clay median, mixed with the water, got under the road and caused erosion in the sub base, hence resulting in the failures”.
The ministry said that the issue was discovered during recent assessments and “minor” rehabilitative works have been done to remedy the situation. It said that the ministry, along with the contractor “plugged the cavities with concrete slurry” and that the sealed areas will soon be overlaid with asphalt.
This statement by the ministry would raise concerns about the quality of the work that had been done by the contractor and whether the ministry applied any penalties. The ministry did not say who paid for the repair work. Poor quality work on public projects has long been complained of and the parties now in government had cited this as a serious problem.
