THE long-awaited $475 million Cemetery Road rehabilitation project which faced significant challenges will now be finished within the next 48 hours, enhancing the aesthetics of the West and East Ruimveldt communities.

During an inspection on Saturday afternoon, Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, noted that 96 per cent of the works had been completed with two bridges left to be cured after being recently cast with cement.

Currently, the bridge embankment closer to Princess Street is being cast and is expected to be done by this evening. However, it needs approximately two weeks of curing time. It will then be asphalted to ensure uniformity.

During that time, that section of the road will only accommodate light traffic.

Some sections of the road were widened by the use of a culvert design to approximately six feet.

Streetlights have since been installed along the road’s medium to improve security for residents.

“Within the next 48 hours, the site will be cleaned up and the machines and everything will be removed. But as it is right now, traffic is able to flow through Cemetery Road in a very efficient manner,” the minister stated.

During a visit to the community of Rasville in July, the minister made a promise to have the road finished before schools reopen; however, that commitment has been fulfilled one month ahead of school reopening.
All the work that has been executed over the past two weeks was being done by sub-contractors who worked simultaneously to meet the deadline after a ‘Programme of Execution’ was agreed upon.

These include Devcon Construction Inc. which did the culverts and is now finishing up with the pedestrian bridges and GDJ Logistics which transformed the site by removing the obstacles and completing the paving works that needed to be done.

Additionally, final works are still being done by Avinash Contracting Company which is the main contractor that was awarded the contract.
Due to difficulties faced by this contracting company, the Ministry of Public Work’s Special Project Unit stepped in to render significant assistance to ensure that the project meets its final timeline.

“This is also a learning curve. And as a government, we learned and as a nation, we must learn. Experience is required when undertaking certain major jobs. The clear problem here was the low bid. You could win a contract by coming in low but in order to execute it at that price you have to manage and that was a part of the problem,” Minister Edghill noted.

Meanwhile, highlighting that fences were built to enclose the cemetery; the minister is pleading with persons to not destroy the fence when they are visiting the area to build tombs for their deceased family members.
He noted that during the construction process, the fences were being destroyed by persons to facilitate the mixing of cement for the tombs.

“We put up the fence as part of the project. The funeral parlours or the relatives of the deceased, when they would like to build a tomb, they are cutting the mesh, dumbing the building materials on the carriageway, and mixing everything on the carriageway…So, we have to make a public appeal. When the government brings improvement, people just can’t, for their convenience, destroy a piece of infrastructure,” the minister charged citizens.

The final product of the Cemetery Road project sees the upgrade from two lanes to four lanes, allowing the smooth flow of traffic. It will enhance the lives of residents living nearby.

Officers from the ministry have been working tirelessly to get the project completed for the final due date. A hallmark of the PPP/C government is to modernise the country’s infrastructure and enhance the livelihood of citizens. (DPI)