– transportation owners reciprocate by lowering fares significantly

THE deplorable state of the roads has always been an issue for the residents of Kwakwani. Their internal roads as well as the trail from Linden have always been riddled with craters and potholes.

Not any more, though. Residents are now rejoicing that major relief has come their way, as both the internal roads and the Linden to Kwakwani Trail have been repaired.
The internal roads span from the Kwakwani water-front area to the Kwakwani car park near the market.

According to Regional Member of Parliament Audwin Rutherford, the internal roads were done pro-bono by the contractor awarded the contract for the Linden to Kwakwani Trail.
Laterite along with other aggregates are being used, and this is expected to last a while, since work commenced after the rainy season.

Short-drop taxis are now thinking about dropping the fare from $200 to $100, given the improved state of the roads, which results in drivers meeting their destination faster thus burning less gasoline and spending less money and time in the mechanic shop. Kwakwani residents have also benefitted from employment from the project.

Regional Vice-Chairman Elroy Adolph said that for too long the residents have been suffering with the road and something had to be done to break the tension.

“This has been our Number One cry in Kwakwani,” he said. “The roads were in a terrible shape, and so we decided come hell or high water, the roads must be done to bring some sort of ease to the residents as well as the drivers.

“And so discussions were held with the contractor and he decided to help us out.”
Meanwhile, drivers plying the Kwakwani to Linden route have dropped the fare from $3, 000 to $2,500 since the road has undergone major repairs and is in a better condition. The buses are making less trips to the repair shops, their vehicles are consuming less gas, and their tyres are enduring the smoothness of the road, so it is only fair to take the burden off the passengers.

The time it takes to get from Linden to Kwakwani is now between one-and-a-half to two hours, as opposed to four and five hours when the roads were bad.
In more good news, the government has approved spending more than $650M from Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC)’s coffers to facilitate the road projects which are critical to miners and forest operators in the gold, diamond and timber industries.

The multi-million-dollar projects are being executed by the Natural Resources Ministry with funding from GGMC, and technical assistance from the Public Infrastructure Ministry. Among those projects are the rehabilitation of the Linden to Kwakwani, as well as the Rockstone to Mabura Road.

With work commencing at the end of the rainy season, there is nothing to prevent contractors from delivering on time, and drivers and residents are optimistic that this time around, the roads will hold up, as opposed to times past, when they degenerated within a matter of months.

The repair works include ditching, excavating and section repairs of soft spots and filling with laterite.