Section of Kitty public to be closed for repair works

…alternative routes identified

Vehicles travelling from the East Coast of Demerara will have to take alternative routes to the Kitty Public Road, since sections of that road will be closed for four weeks to facilitate repairs to culverts in the area.
Works in this regard are currently ongoing at the junction of Vlissengen Road and Carifesta Avenue, and will soon extend across the Kitty Public Road, hence the need for that road to be closed. This closure will take effect from Wednesday, August 23, and would be in effect until September 20. The road will be closed to vehicular traffic from west of Queen Street, Kitty (in the vicinity of the Guyoil Gas Station) up to the Vlissengen Road junction.
The project has moved beyond its first leg, which comprised works being undertaken on the sinkhole that had developed in the vicinity of the Kitty Pump Station. That first leg was successfully completed last month.
The first of the four-phase second leg of the project recently commenced, and extensive culvert works are ongoing just south of the Kitty Public Road and east of Vlissengen Road.
The second phase of leg two will commence in the new week, and will see the works being extended from south of the Kitty Public Road to north of it just up to the start of the Rupert Craig Highway. Vehicular traffic will be prohibited from heading west along the Kitty Public Road, and road users will instead have to utilise alternative routes. These include: Sheriff Street (highlighted in green), all heavy-duty vehicles, such as trucks and low-bed trailers are asked to use this route; Church Road (highlighted in blue); Earl’s Avenue (highlighted in red); Pere Street (highlighted in yellow); and Queen Street (highlighted in purple).
Road users are further advised that this phase of the project will not require the closure of the Rupert Craig Highway to eastbound traffic in the vicinity of the junction at Vlissengen Road.
While recognising the inconvenience such closure of a critical section of the roadway will cause, the Public Infrastructure Ministry has emphasised the crucial necessity of the project.
“Ultimately, we’re executing this project with public safety in mind,” Head of the Works Service Group (WSG), Geoffrey Vaughn, explained.
“Yes, the public will be inconvenienced, and of course this closure will lead to some amount of frustration. We understand that, and we apologise for that. However, we must stress to the general public that these works are absolutely necessary if we are going to ensure that our road users are traversing along a road that is safe. Our primary focus will always be the safety of our country’s citizens,” he stated.