Residents of Lethem are anxious for all the roads in the town to be upgraded after seeing the effect that the new asphalt road has had on the town.
The new asphalt road known as the Barrack Retreat Corridor, which stretches from the Lethem airport to the outskirts of the town in an eastern direction, was commissioned last November, however, many of the streets branching off from the asphalt road are still basically deteriorating dirt roads.
Street lights were also installed in the Corridor earlier this year.
Rachael Thomas, 34, of Tabatinga, explained that the asphalt road was upgraded at a critical area in the town because most of the businesses are located along that road. She said that it is the busiest road in Lethem as many people from other areas in Region Nine as well as Brazil go to shop at those businesses every single day. As a result of the traffic, she added, before the asphalt road was built, the town would usually be covered in red dust coming from that road.
“Now, I’m glad to say that there is not as much dust as there was before. There is still a lot of red dust across the community but I telling you, it’s not much as it was before,” she noted, adding that the construction of the asphalt road has made her realize what Lethem could become in the future. “I live here all my life and I never imagine something like this could happen here, so now I can see what Lethem could look like in the future so I cannot wait for all the road here to look like this.”
Thomas then expressed the hope that the other roads in the town would be upgraded as soon as possible. She informed that although only a small amount of red dust rises from the asphalt road, anywhere else in Lethem, the dust is still affecting people. “When you come here, you can’t wear white clothes. No matter how much you clean your house, it will never clean. Even the trees, leaves, and stem, orange orange,” she lamented. She went on to say that she believes the condition of the roads is what has kept Lethem from developing for all these years.
“For me, the new road has made a difference. There is way less dust and it’s easier to move around instead of going through all the holes and unleveled road but works need to be done urgently on all the other roads in Lethem because they have been in that condition for as long as I remember,” 22-year-old John Joseph said. Like Thomas, he echoed that the upgraded road has its advantages especially as it relates to the amount of dust that rises from the now-asphalt road as compared to before it was upgraded. He explained that his mode of transportation is a motorcycle and when he is riding he has to be swerving every second to avoid potholes. “If I just ride in and out of those holes, it will damage my tires, which are expensive,” he said, adding that he enjoys the advantage of shopping from the businesses located along the asphalt road.
However, he reminded that the majority of Lethem roads are still in a deteriorating condition so when he wants to go to work or elsewhere, he still has to ride through those roads. “It’s good what the government did with the new road and I hope they continue developing our roads because there is still much to do especially since Lethem is a town now,” he stated, although acknowledging that he heard that the asphalt road is only the first step of the coalition government’s plan for development in Lethem
Meanwhile, Mcdon Joseph said, upgrading all the roads in Lethem would make “things easier” while noting that one upgraded road out of so many roads in Lethem only makes a small difference. Another, Junior Isaacs, said, “By upgrading that road, a lot of people and myself find it easier but more needs to be done.”
