A mechanical problem with the road milling machine has delayed the trial application of asphalt on the Sheriff Street/Mandela Avenue Project.
The trial application was scheduled for yesterday and resulted in a partial road closure from the Rupert Craig Highway to David Street.
Stabroek News was told that the machine, which is used to remove aged asphalt and concrete from road surfaces, developed mechanical issues yesterday. During a visit to the site, Stabroek News observed that some aged asphalt had already been removed but workers were unable to continue due to mechanical problems.
Ingram Edwards, Public Relations and Social Engagement Officer at Sinohydro, the contractor responsible for the works, told Stabroek News last night that they will have to reschedule the trial application. He noted that this is likely to take place when the milling machine is repaired.
Motorists were advised that the section of Sheriff Street would had been closed to south bound traffic yesterday between 9.30 am and 5.00 pm. Persons desirous of accessing the closed section of Sheriff Street were required to use the Conversation Tree Road or Church Road, Subryanville or another alternate route to proceed north on Sheriff Street.
According to Edwards, over the weekend roads commuters will be able to use the roadway uninterrupted. However, in the vicinity of Arapaima Street, La Penitence, road users are asked to use the bypass created as the company has commenced work on construction of the bridge in that area.
Edwards stated that over the weekend workers will join the drains at Eping Avenue and this will result in some disruption to persons who usually use that road.
Meanwhile, Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill told Stabroek News that while works are a few days behind schedule, they have implemented strategies to rectify the delays. “I am not fully satisfied but works on the road are in a better state than when I visited,” the minister said.
He explained that they currently have six sub-contractors, five of whom are local working along with Sinohydro to get the works done.
Edghill stated that the sub-contractors are executing different parts of the project. He pointed out that one contractor is working on the drainage, another on the construction of the bypass and bridge at La Penitence and others are working to re-lay new pipes and upgrade the Guyana Water Inc’s distribution network. He explained that this is a necessary part of the project as they are aiming to prevent GWI from carrying out repairs and rehabilitation work after construction would have been completed.
The road project was halted due to COVID-19 precautionary measures in April and recommenced in September after COVID-19 measures were implemented.
In April, Stabroek News reported that sub-contractors, who were awarded contracts for the construction of the drains and sidewalks along Sheriff Street, were trying to maximise their output given the prevailing good weather conditions and the reduction in traffic following the implementation of the COVID-19 restrictions.
The Sheriff Street to Mandela Avenue section will have an upgraded two-lane road, while Mandela Avenue, from the Cultural Centre, to the intersection with Hunter Street, and the beginning of the East Bank Highway will be upgraded to a four-lane road. The two-year project also encompasses lane and shoulder improvements, placement of sidewalks and paved shoulders, traffic signals, streetlights, drainage upgrade works, a pedestrian overhead walkway, culverts, bridges and a roundabout. The four-lane section will also feature a dividing median.
The project was handed over to the company early in 2018 after the contract was awarded and work commenced in the latter part of the year. The contract is pegged at US$31.03 million and is being financed by the Inter-American Development Bank.
