RESIDENTS of Plantation Providence, East Bank Demerara, are calling on the government to repair the roads in the area. They say the roads are filled with potholes, with some being virtually impassable.

According to residents, the heavy downpours during recent months have made the loam roads filled with large potholes and the area swampy.

One of the residents, Michelle Hollingsworth, told the Guyana Chronicle that repairs to the roads are long overdue and they should be fixed before the situation gets worse.
Another resident, Stacy Mansfield, explained that because of the deplorable state of the roads, taxi drivers in the area refuse to traverse the streets.
“I work late at nights and the taxi drivers refuse to come through the street because of the huge potholes,” Mansfield noted.

The frustrated resident explained that she lives almost 14 minutes’ walk from the main access road and is forced to walk through the muddy roads in the morning and at nights through the dark street, because there are no street lights.

Also, taxi driver Charles Thompson explained that the road is dangerous for vehicle owners. Thompson added that vehicles that attempt to go through are often left stuck in the mud or suffer damage .

“I believe that what has added to the situation are the heavy-duty trucks which use the streets because everyday somebody moving in or building their homes,” the taxi driver said.

Lastly, Fiona Williams, who has been living in Plantation Providence for the past six years, explained that some time ago officials from the then Ministry of Housing and Water had visited the area and announced plans to upgrade the loam road with tar, once the streets are 70% populated.

“Six years pass and is the same situation … honestly I’m fed up, because we are living like pigs in the mud with this loam road and the messy situation,” Williams added.