Canvas City Road project will continue according to design – Min Edghill

Minister of Public Works Bishop Juan Edghill has made it clear that works on the Canvas City Road, Linden, Region 10 will continue as designed.

Minister Edghill, accompanied by an engineering team, visited the project site on Tuesday after works were halted on Sunday due to actions by some residents who were not in agreement with the project design.

Minister Edghill met those residents to address the issue.

He noted that the residents had requested  a bridge when President Dr. Irfaan Ali visited the community, however it was decided that a road will also be built.

“We built the bridge so that people could cross over, but we recognised when we built the bridge that even if people use the bridge because of the conditions, they might not be able to drive or ride their bike or whatever to bridge the two areas…As a government, we went out and decided that we will do the road in concrete all the way up. And the reason why we did concrete road, was because we understand the slope, and the water flow and the movement of the soil with water if you’re putting asphaltic road it could easily deteriorate,” Minister Edghill explained.

He noted that projects are done based on engineering designs.

The minister stated clearly that persons who try to stop development will not be tolerated.

“I’m going to make it very, very clear, I’m not going to play politics with the development of Guyana.  I’m not going to play politics  with the work that is taking place in Linden because the complain has been how government is doing nothing. Now government is doing everything that we can do.”

The minister emphasised that those persons will be held accountable even if they are political operatives.

“Development in Linden will continue. This project will continue… This is not something that the Mayor and Town Council asked for, this is something that the people of this community asked for.”

Minister Edghill stated too that there are systems in place to address issues regarding the quality of work or materials and these must be raised with the ministry.

“I’m making it very, very clear, if it was concerning the quality of work that the contractor was doing, you have a right to raise your voice if you are not satisfied with the quality of the work… the quality 0f the material.  The ministry would then have to send its engineers, and we have a lab that could bore the concrete to make sure that we get the right [materials],” Minister Edghill told the residents.

Meanwhile, Engineer Desmond Peters was onsite to explain the design to the residents.

He explained that the length of the road is 367 metres in width, by 20 feet. This, he said, caters for a curb on both sides of the road to take water to the creek and avoid erosion.

He noted that everything is in order and the quality is good.