After more than a year of work which was stalled on several occasions after facing numerous challenges, Cemetery Road in Georgetown in fully operational and on a daily basis hundreds of vehicles are utilising the road, Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill said Friday.
“The road is complete. The hundreds of vehicles that are passing through there will tell you that,” Edghill told the News Room on Friday.
Final works on the long delayed road were completed following another intervention by Edghill last week.
However, upon entering Cemetery Road from Georgetown it can be noticed that a small section of the road, towards Princess Street, is closed to traffic.
This, Edghill said is because the recently constructed bridge needs time to be cured. A process which is expected to take approximately two weeks.
“The bridge that had to be cast at Princess Street is complete. We are not allowing heavy traffic on it because concrete need a certain curing time. That’s all,” Edghill told the News Room.
Works to rehabilitate Cemetery Road commenced more than a year ago. During that period, works were stalled multiple times.
In fact, the delays saw Edghill threatening the termination of the project.
In April this year, the contractor, Avinash Constructing and Scrap Metal Incorporated was given another extension to complete the long delayed project.
And following reviews, two sub-contractors were nominated and approved by the ministry to support the contractor.
For residents, the wait was a long and frustrating one, but the enhanced infrastructure is now worth it.
“It was a whole journey for us in a real negative way.
“If Mr Edghill didn’t put foot on this ground here, this road wouldn’t have finish. I am grateful despite the negative setbacks and negative areas where the pollution of the dust and everything. Tek the bitter with the sweet this road is finish,” Orin Isaacs, a resident told the News Room on Friday.
For Rosey Noel, her business was more impacted.
“It was difficult and slow business wise because people couldn’t have access properly and then again the customers didn’t want to park their cars far to come this side.
“I could say the road finished and business is now picking up back. I am happy that the road is completed at least for the customers,” Noel told the News Room.
Another resident Conrad Boele believes that measures should now be taken to ensure that the road is marked to prevent accident. He also raised the need for installation of medians along the road to avoid recklessness.
“The first when they start, they start work and stop…and it was for a lil while and then after they came back again and they start working and it looking reasonable good now.
“I need the road safety to get into it and come and mark the road and put up sign and thing. The road is very nice and thing, can’t complain,” Boele said.
The final product of the Cemetery Road project sees the upgrade from two lanes to four lanes, allowing the smooth flow of traffic and enhancing the lives of residents. Streetlights have since been installed along the road’s medium to improve security for residents.
The $475M contract for the project was awarded to Avinash Constructing and Scrap Metal Inc back in 2022.
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