PRIME Minister Moses Nagamootoo announced during an interview on Radio Lethem on Monday afternoon that a shipment of fuel is on its way to Region Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo).

He said that vehicular traffic had been restricted owing to the impassable state of the Linden/Lethem Road. However, the fuel shipment was dispatched from the coastland to the border town as the situation along the road has improved.

Emergency works on the Hunt Oil stretch of roadway between Lethem and Annai commenced last Thursday afternoon and traffic was able to traverse the area as the contractor, JR Ranch Inc., was able to compact the roadway.
The Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) noted in a release that following reports of the deterioration of the stretch due to prolonged rainfall, it moved to effect repairs as quickly as possible. “The efforts even saw the hauling of laterite from more than 20 kilometres away to ensure the sourcing of quality material,” the ministry noted.
According to JR Ranch Inc., sections at the side of the roadway, before the particularly bad areas, were first filled to create turnaround spots for the trucks due to the narrowness of the road. Three areas along the stretch were also filled and compacted. Furthermore, an excavator was used to form two cofferdams at the sides of the eroded spot in an effort to remove all accumulated slush and water prior to filling and compaction.

The MPI and the contractor will continue to monitor the stretch of road to ensure that there is no further need for filling and compaction and no deterioration reoccurs.
The ministry noted that a maintenance programme under its Ministry’s Hinterland Department will soon be coming on-stream to rehabilitate a number of corridors, including those from Linden-Lethem; Ituni-Kwakwani; and Mabura-Mahdia. The programme is slated to last for one year.