Contractors bearing cost of repairs – Ministry official

WCD road deterioration

Contractors who rehabilitated the West Coast Demerara (WCD) road to the tune of $9.7 billion will be standing the cost of repairs after the road started to deteriorate mere months after completion.
Guyana Times first reported on Thursday, just months after its official completion that a hole had developed on the Vreed-en-Hoop access road, WCD. The project

was undertaken by a Jamaican company, along with BK International.
On Friday, Head of the Works Services Group at the Infrastructure Ministry, Geoffrey Vaughn told this publication that the contractors are now standing the expenses to conduct repairs to the road, under the defect liability clause in the contract.
He told this newspaper on Friday during a telephone interview that the contract has a defect liability period, which means any defects which develop, in this case over a year’s time, would have to be repaired by the contractors and not the Ministry.
Vaughn explained, “Our contract catered for a detect liability period and if there are

any defects the contractor would fix it”.
The head of the Works Services Group also pointed out that the Ministry is aware of the situation, hence, it is ensuring that the contractors remedy the road. According to him, “We see the defects, we are cutting the area out now and ensure that there is no further deterioration.”
On Wednesday workers attached to Surrey Paving and Aggregate Company Limited had begun drilling holes to surround the sunken section of road at Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara, as they explained that they were conducting an examination to determine the reason for the sunken road.
Guyana Times understands that days before the hole formed, the patch was uneven and rough, causing motorists to avoid using that section of the roadway.
The $9.7 billion project was completed by the Jamaican company along with BK International earlier this year after several hiccups and setbacks.
Back in July when the road was commissioned by the subject Minister David Patterson, it was noted that the project was funded by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).
Some 30.7 kilometers of the West Coast roadway was rehabilitated to include bridges and culverts, new ‘shared-use’ lanes for cyclists and pedestrians at key junctions, the installation of high visibility traffic signs and road markers, the installation of pedestrian footpath bridges, the construction of concrete drains at critical locations and the construction of parking lanes along identified sections of the road, the Department of Public Information reported.
The expansion entailed the improvement of about 30.7 kilometres of the West Coast Demerara Road from Vreed-en-Hoop to Hydronie, East Bank Essequibo just about one mile East of Parika.