Public Works Minister says
Approximately 9,000 tonnes of aggregate moved from site

FOLLOWING the extensive damage done to the Providence Access Road, commonly referred to as the ‘Red Road’, located along the East Bank Demerara, works are ongoing to rehabilitate the route, according to Public Works Minister Bishop Juan Edghill on Friday.
“…Yesterday I indicated to you what we believe transpired, we immediately moved into emergency mobilisation and in the last 24 hours, works have continued non-stop at this facility,” the Minister told reporters at a briefing.

Speaking on the ongoing works, he said: “As it relates to the reconstruction of the road that was damaged, two contractors are currently mobilized on site and the work has been executed by Excel engineering and Guy America.”

He also noted that during the night of the incident, contractors flooded the scene and rendered their assistance.
The Minister related: “Last night, we had a number of contractors namely E.C Vieira along with AJM enterprises, XL engineering and Guy America, that responded to the call and they brought in machines, estimators, bulldozers etc. to help us to redistribute the weight on the stockpile, so that pressure would be deflated.”
With that being said, Edghill remarked that at the end of Friday, they expected to move 9,000 tonnes out of the 30,000 tonnes of aggregate off of the site.
“We have since been able to arrange orders with contractors who need urgent supply of Crusher run and for today, we expect to move about 9,000 out of the 30,000 tonnes off site,” he said.

Although unable to give a definite timeline, he said that the Ministry is moving rapidly to get this project completed.
The Public Works Minister related: “I am unable to tell you a timeline because I know somebody is interested [in] how many days it’s going to take and how soon we’re going get that fixed. We’re trying to move as fast as possible.”
He then went on to say: “We will do everything within our power to get this wrapped up in the shortest possible time.”
The Minister also extended his gratitude to Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) for its fast response to the disrupted drains and for ensuring that schools, businesses and citizens do not suffer.

He also cautioned pedestrians to not traverse the walkway when works are ongoing, as it is dangerous.
The ‘Red Road’ in Providence suffered significant damage, prompting emergency contractors to be deployed on Thursday for evaluation.
Described as an ‘unusual event’, the weight of a 30,000-tonne aggregate stockpile near the road on Thursday afternoon caused bulges that destroyed a considerable stretch of the main access road to several residential areas.

“It’s unusual, and an unfortunate event,” Minister Edghill said while responding to reporters at the scene.
“It is clear that with the bulge, this entire stretch of about 150 meters has been totally destroyed. It will cause some amount of inconvenience to commuters, because, as of the time of the event until the time this will be restored, we will have to restrict traffic on ‘Red Road’ from the East Bank highway all the way down to the entrance at Massey,” the Minister noted.