Deteriorating Aubrey Barker Road to be fixed after fiery protests

Frustrated residents of South Ruimveldt, Georgetown, on Thursday evening, staged a roadblock in protest of the deplorable state at the eastern end of the Aubrey Barker Road, prompting a high-level ministerial team to visit the area and committed to having maintenance works done.
According to the Public Works Ministry, the damage has been attributed to ongoing works linked to the Cummings Lodge housing development. Since the Aubrey Barker Road leads to that housing area, trucks and other vehicles are constantly traversing the access road.
However, after weeks of complaints about the state of the road and no action taken, the residents used pieces of wood and other items to block the Aubrey Barker access road and then lit them on fire. The blaze was eventually put out and authorities cleared the roadway later that evening.
Early Friday morning, senior Government officials along with City Councillors met with the residents who highlighted that the deplorable road not only damaged their vehicles but also caused inconveniences to those walking.
In fact, the councillor for the constituency, Kibwe Copeland, explained that while residents are aware of the housing developments at Cummings Lodge, they want regular maintenance of Aubrey Barker Road.

“The main concern is what when these works are happening, let [there be continued] maintenance of the road; make it drivable… If you come out walking, you have to take long boots [with you] or you’ll get mud on your feet. So, that’s the basic concern – nothing too technical just maintenance of the road,” he noted.
The City Councillor also related residents’ concerns about the trucks speeding along the road, causing vibrations and even some damage to nearby homes.
Currently, Aubrey Barker Road is being widened into four lanes. The $1.45 billion expansion project is being completed in phases with one section already completed and the works ongoing on the second section.
In addition, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill told the residents that the contract has already been awarded for the third section of the road and that the contractor is set to begin mobilising next week. In the meantime, he assured that maintenance works will be carried out to ensure the road remains accessible.
“There is going to be an engagement between the contractor that has been awarded this stretch [of the road]… and the contractors that are working in the housing areas, and we will work out a maintenance plan,” the Minister declared.
According to Edghill, “Every time we do projects, there is always a maintenance plan so it’s not that there is no maintenance plan… The reality is we haven’t been able to kick that into function because the two parties have not yet connected.”
This final section of the Aubrey Barker Road will be widened into a four-lane will run all the way to Ogle, connecting onto the East Coast-East Bank Demerara (EBD) Bypass Road Project that is also currently under construction.
Housing Minister, Collin Croal, explained that, residents as well as those doing construction works in the Cummings Lodge scheme have been using the Aubrey Barker Road to get into Georgetown instead of going around through the East Coast Demerara (ECD) Highways thus lending to the increased traffic flow through and consequent damages to the Aubrey Barker Road.
“So, this is one of the main entry points to the Cummings Lodge housing scheme… But [residents] are quite right, some bit of maintenance is expected while those works are going on. And if [Aubrey Barker Road] is graded a little then it will reduce the vibrations from the trucks driving there,” Minister Croal stated. (G-8)