Rehab works conducted on Carifesta Avenue

– to fix potholes

The Ministry of Public Infrastructure said it has successfully determined the cause of the developing potholes along the Carifesta Avenue in Georgetown and has completed minor rehabilitative works to remedy the situation.
In light of concerns over the overall structural integrity of the carriageway, the Ministry said it would like to emphasise that the potholes – particularly those which had developed at the bases of light-poles – were as 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 began to settle, 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.
“This issue was discovered during recent assessments by the Ministry. In rectifying this fault, the Ministry, along with the contractor, plugged the cavities with concrete. These sealed areas will soon be overlaid with asphalt,” the Department of Public Information said in a statement.
It said the Ministry wishes to reassure the travelling public of the structural soundness of Carifesta Avenue. “We would also like to thank the public as a whole for its patience and apologised for any inconveniences caused,” the statement added.
Only last year, the Guyana Government expended some $138 million to upgrade Carifesta Avenue. The project saw the road widening to the North and the installation of a median in the middle of the road to separate the southern and northern carriageways.
Additionally, flags of all the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Member States were placed on light poles that were installed on the median along the road. This was done to commemorate the July 2016 Caricom Summit that was held in Guyana.
The 37th Regular Meeting of the Conference under the Chairmanship of Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, was co-hosted by the Government of Guyana and the Caricom Secretariat.
Guyana had agreed to co-host the meeting after Dominica pulled out. The Caribbean island had suffered significant damage after Tropical Storm Erika battered it for five hours last August.