Written by LOUIS  HOLDER
RECENT references in your newspaper to road construction and erosion got my attention.  President Ramotar, addressing a group at Uitvlugt, informed that the entire West Demerara Highway will be resurfaced beginning early next year.In earlier comments, Minister Benn identified poor drainage as a major contributor to road erosion.  From my observations, road damage has three main causes: road reserve barricades that prevent water run-off, drainage problems in surrounding areas and shoddy construction methods.

Road-reserve barriers
It appears to be part of our culture to use the road reserve as part of our private property and which grants us the right to dump dirt and sand on these reserves in aid of construction on our properties.  In most cases, there is a mismatch between the amount of this construction material needed and the minimum quantities purchased, usually sold by truck loads.  The remaining materials become a permanent dam and impede the run-off of water from the road to side drains.  This practice has to be dealt with by the authorities and no road should be built or repaired unless the reserve is lower than the surface of the road and contains a gentle slope to the drains.
Area Drainage Problems
There are several causes for road destruction from area flooding including shallow or clogged drains, and elevation of drains in relation to that of the road.  The solution to all of these is deeper drains that slope up to the road.  But repairing roads without addressing the underlying problems that cause the damage is a waste of taxpayers’ money.
Shoddy Construction
You see this everywhere.  A pothole in my neighbourhood was recently filled with an asphalt mix.  The very next day, an indentation appeared in the middle where water can settle and affect the integrity of the repair work.  I was in Charity last weekend and witnessed the filling of potholes there.  A loose asphalt mix was dumped into the holes and left there.  The presumption is that vehicular traffic would compact the mix.  The next day as I passed through, I saw deep indentations in the holes and with loose mix all over the road.  This is what passes for road repair.  If too little or too much fill is used, potholes are either replaced by moderate ones or by bumps.  A whole line of people need to be held accountable starting with those who award the contracts and those who certify the work.
Roads don’t appear to have a long life-span in Guyana.  But despite knowing the principal causes for this we continue to build and repair them.   The authorities should cease all road construction until standards are put in place dealing with gradients and construction methods and practices.  Otherwise, road construction is a colossal waste of resources.