THE 18 roads slated to be repaired in Region Three (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara) this year should all be completed by August month-end, Regional Chairman Julius Faerber disclosed yesterday.
Faerber told the Chronicle via telephone that works have started on all of the roads and are progressing satisfactorily.
The ‘Road Support Project’ in Region 3 will facilitate the repairs with $18M plus that has been allocated in the region’s budget for this year.
Roads will be repaired at Station Street, Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo (EBE); First Cross Street, Stewartville, West Coast Demerara (WCD); Clarke Dam, Sisters Village, West Bank Demerara (WBD); Gap Road, La Jalousie, WCD; Third Cross Street, La Jalousie, WCD; Second Street, Silk Cotton Dam, Zeelugt, EBE; Belle Vue Main Road to end, West Bank Demerara  (WBD); Back Street, Groenveldt, WCD; Sea View Road, Hague, WCD; Main Access Road(front road) to Venezuela Housing Scheme, Uitvlugt, WCD; Singh and Murphy Streets, Sisters Village, WBD; First Street, La Grange, WBD; London Alley, Den Amstel, WCD; South Sideline (east), Nismes, WBD; Sideline Road, NPR, Den Amstel, WCD; Fourth Cross Street, Patentia, WBD; and First Street, Patentia Housing Scheme, WBD.
Under the Community Road Improvement Project (‘CRIP’) a total of 53 other roads will be repaired, the Chairman said, when questioned specifically about the main road in Best Village, West Coast Demerara.
This road is in a very deplorable state with huge potholes littering it throughout its length, from outside the West Demerara Regional Hospital (Best Hospital) to neighbouring Crane village.
The Chairman said there are three Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) that will  benefit from this programme and Best Road will be cared for when it gets on stream.“It is expected to start very shortly,” Faerber said.
For several years now, residents have been complaining about the state of this particular road, and it has reached a point where even short-drop taxis are refusing to traverse the road to transport passengers.
Added to that is the fact that, although generally ignored for the most part, whenever any attention is paid by the authorities to fixing this road, it is mostly done in an ‘ad hoc’ manner and deteriorates within weeks of any rehab work.
In the meantime, Faerber reported that the administration has been doing minimal maintenance works to make sure that the roads – such as Best Road – are useable to some level, so that persons can use them. (TELESHA PERSAUD)