By Vanessa Braithwaite

THE Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) has expeditiously responded to the call of Region Ten Chairman Renis Morian to either repair or reconstruct the kokers and culverts located along Burnham Drive.The request was made after it was observed that sections of this main roadway were sinking, and that a huge hole which had developed over time was rapidly increasing in size. The state of the road is due to the gradual erosion of its foundation because of the dilapidated state of many of the kokers in its environs.

A team of engineers from the MPI visited Linden on Friday to assess the situation, and according to Head Engineer Jermain Braithwaite, his initial finding is that the upper parts of the tubes holding the kokers together have been corroded, and this is what is causing the road to lose its foundation. He said the full solution to the problem is opening the entire section of the road so as to better ascertain where exactly has been corroded.

“You can’t go by guesswork, you know; this is not something you could fill and patch-up back and cover up, because you will lose it again,” Braithwaite said. He explained that even though the upper layer of the road may seem sound, the foundation is currently void; which is why it is sinking in some places. What may have exacerbated the situation, he said, is the pressure being put on an already weakened road structure by some of the vehicles and heavy-duty machinery that traverse it daily.

Noting that the situation needs to be addressed urgently, Braithwaite said, “Once the water keeps flowing, you won’t retain anything. So, for it to be much more sound, you would need to do a complete replacement.” He said that even though such a move does not “come cheap”, it is the better option in fixing the road. Braithwaite also suggests that the material used for constructing the culverts be changed from steel, which is susceptible to corrosion over time, to a high-density plastic, to avoid a repeat of the situation.

Since Burnham Drive is the only access road for several communities on the Wismar Shore, the Regional Chairman has the responsibility of clearing a plot of land to be used as a bypass for traffic while the kokers and culverts are being fixed.

A contractor has already commenced the repair project, and a junior engineer from the Public Infrastructure Ministry will be based in Linden to give him technical guidance until the work has been completed.