Cracks in newly built Schoonord to Crane highway not a problem – Pres. Ali 

Sep 09, 2024 News

Kaieteur News – Several defects have been highlighted at sections of the newly commissioned Schoonord to Crane highway. The $15.1 billion four lane highway was commissioned by President Ifraan Ali just over a week ago to help alleviate traffic congestion in Region Three.

The cement walkway for the $15 billion road has already started to crumble

However, Kaieteur News visited the Highway just a few days after it opened and found sections of the walkway to the newly built road already crumbling. The issue was first highlighted by social media commentator Francis Michael Bailey. Bailey shared a video in which he pointed out a number of issues with the road.  Bailey pointed out that though new, the road was already patched at some parts. In addition, the area that was left as a walkway for commuters had a number of defects including cracks, and the exposed rebars made from steel which is a tripping hazard for pedestrians. Foreign objects such as plastic and pieces of wood appeared to be mixed into the blocks that made the walkway giving it a rough finish.

Additionally, Bailey pointed out that the cement work applied to the structure appeared to be shoddy. ”This is very, very poor casting work…The covers [of the walkway]are supposed to be individual units over the drains that can be moved  but they have come along here applied at a very cheap casting over the top of it so apparently now it’s not supposed to move…” the social media user pointed out in the video.

Plastic and wood are among the foreign object seen protruding from concrete structure used to create a walkway

Bailey noted too that where the cracks appear in the cement walkway is due to foreign objects such plywood being left in the structure. “Under where you see the cracks are because you still have plywood in the structure that going to make it deteriorate,” he said.  Added to this, the social media user noted the contractor who was hired to complete sections of the road already had to do remedial work to it. “If you look closely you see that they would have already had to patch the road at some parts…” Bailey pointed out. He questioned how the recently built road can be already in need of rehabilitation and how was it possible for local engineers to certify the clearly “substandard work” as complete.

In a subsequent video shared on social media, President Ali brushed aside the concerns about the road labeling it as “empty noise” “There is absolutely no concern about the Schoonord road project…there are some drain covers and these are covers that the form still be removed this is ongoing and there is a long defects liability period so this is just empty noise,” the Head of State said in response to questions from the press on the state of the road.

There are visible signs that the newly commissioned road has been repaired

$15.1 billion contract for the road was signed back in September 2022 by the Ministry of Housing and Water, Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) after it was awarded through the national tendering process. The new four-lane project was built by eight contractors and done in eight lots. The contractors include: R Construction Inc, Avinash Contracting & Scrap Metal Inc, L-Heureuse Construction and Services Inc, Guyamerica Construction Inc, AJM Enterprise, Vals Construction, Puran Bros Disposal Inc, and JS Guyana Inc.

The road measures some 4.1km of dual carriageway reinforced concrete road and some of the features of the highway includes an emergency lane, medians, the rehabilitation of 2.4km of roadways, two roundabouts, 11 reinforced concrete box culverts, 36 pre-stressed bridges, road signage and markings.

In his address at the commissioning ceremony, the Head of State said that this highway is just the first phase of the highway that would lead to Parika. “This is not just about the Schoonord to Crane highway this is about the realisation of a grand vision, that vision that seeks to transform every single region of our country.”

“The infrastructure interlink that we are talking about is to position Guyana as a major transport and logistics hub, it is to open up the opportunities in tourism and it is to expand the opportunities in agriculture,” he explained during his remarks. Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal said that the road project forms part of government’s infrastructure vision which is “to lift our people out of poverty and to create the condition for economic growth and development in every region.” The minister went onto state that this highway will immediately bring further development, reduce travel times, reduce traffic congestion and “open new opportunities for entrepreneurship which bodes well for the long-term viability of West Demerara and its prospect for further development.”