Scores trapped in Atlantic Gardens due to road construction
Residents of Atlantic Gardens, East Coast Demerara were stuck in the community for several hours on Sunday with no way in or out owing to the ongoing construction work on the main East Coast Demerara Highway.
To add to their plight, it was noted that the road was the only access road for the scores of persons living in the neighborhood.
Affected residents complained to Guyana Times of the grave inconvenience caused by the construction work on such an important day as Mother’s Day, arguing that they should have at least been informed beforehand.
Sandeep Changur, a construction worker, explained that the bridge was destroyed to facilitate the installation of an underground drainage pipe. He said that the works commenced around 09:00h on Sunday and were completed just about
The drainage pipe which workers were installing on Mother’s Day. Just above is the bridge which pedestrians were forced to use for hours
midday.
The worker added that no vehicular traffic was allowed in or out of the area for this period; however, the workers did try to provide a temporary crossing for pedestrians.
A disgruntled male resident said, “Today is a special day for people to go and see their mother and their friends and relatives, and these people this morning just cut the road and got people stuck in and out the neighbourhood. We couldn’t go out or in. We had to walk and is bad, because they didn’t even inform the public about this and it was like couple hours straight we couldn’t get in or out. They should have had some sign or notice to inform us in here, so next time they should be more professional.”
A female driver in the area related, “Today is Mother’s Day, and I was going to get my mom and my daughter from church and upon arriving here, I saw that there was no road.”
She said when she attempted to enquire what was happening, that too was a challenge since she was left with no option but to confront a Chinese worker who was on duty.
“It was really bad, because we don’t really have a problem with them getting the work done, but at least they could have informed us a few days before so we would know how to programme ourselves. It was kinda hard for pregnant women and then it had old people coming from church as well so they had to make this make a bridge,” she added.
The East Coast road expansion project started on August 29, 2017. The project is expected to be completed by 2019.
In addition to the major traffic build-up on the East Coast Highway, it was chaos for businesses, in that their entrances are blocked thus affecting sales tremendously.
The project is being undertaken by the China Railway First Group Company Limited to the tune of US$47 million with funding having been sourced through the Export-Import Bank of China and the Government of Guyana.
This project, will see upgrade of the road to include four lanes from Better Hope to Annandale, and two lanes thereafter. There will also be extension and reconstruction of bridges, and improvement of the drainage system.
The project would also include installation of traffic signals and signs, road markings, sidewalks, and street lighting. Upon the project’s completion, road users will benefit from an upgraded roadway that allows for improved capacity and reduced travel time, better drivability, and safety improvements for motorised and non-motorised traffic.
