THE Mayor and City Council (M&CC) has taken a decision to close off Sussex Street to vehicular traffic as of last Monday to facilitate repairs by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure.
The government, through the ministry, has decided to step in and assist the City Council with the road which has been in a deplorable state for the longest while. There are huge potholes and no road shoulders, which pose a serious threat to motorists and even pedestrians.

But plans are afoot to do two fixes; first, a temporary fix that will see the road accommodating only certain vehicles, and second, a permanent fix. The road was closed from Vlissengen Road to St. Stephen’s Street.
“We’re delighted to say that the Ministry of Public Infrastructure has co-opted that project for us. The temporary fix will look to put up some level of barriers so that some heavy duty trucks cannot pass. So it will be a two phase operation,” Constituency Councillor, David Allicock explained.

Speaking with Guyana Chronicle on the sidelines of the most recent statutory meeting at City Hall, Allicock said he is unable to provide a start date at the moment, but noted that the repairs will commence “pretty soon”.
“The reason we have to do a temporary fix first is because it was not catered for in MoPI’s budget,” he informed, adding, “It is noteworthy that this road is an indispensable artery to both Constituencies 10 and 11. The fact of the matter is that at a minimum, Sussex Street needs revetment to both sides of its drainage and recapping on the road surface from end to end. This street is heavily and continuously utilised by residents on foot, competing with vehicular traffic. As such, a pedestrian sidewalk on the southern side should be given active consideration.”

In a previous interview, Allicock had said the road was in very bad shape. “The fact that the road has now merged with the canal and there are no shoulders as a result of that, has yielded a very dangerous effort for motorists and pedestrians because they are all competing for the same space, and it is only a matter of time before, god forbids, something happens,” he said.

Councillor Heston Bostwick, too, had said he felt the revetment of the Sussex and St. Stephen’s Streets canals is of utmost importance at this time. “This, I feel, is priority. The roads have no shoulders and they pose a serious hazard. I would be very grateful for it to be done for the sake of the residents and for the health of the community,” Bostwick expressed.

He explained how the canal from the cemetery to the Sussex Street canal is just a few yards apart. “Now that you’re experiencing erosion to some parts, you might very well find that the water from the cemetery would be mixing, and that’s what we don’t want because that can lead to cholera and all sorts of things.”
The councillor said he is also hoping that the koker, which once existed at the corner of Sussex and St. Stephen’s Streets, will be reconstructed
Meanwhile, desilting works are currently ongoing in all of the drains in Charlestown, which is one of the wards of Constituency 10 (Albouystown/Charlestown).