Linden Mayor slams ongoing works on Linden-Soesdyke Highway

Apr 03, 2025 News

---

Kaieteur News- Linden Mayor Sharma Solomon has heavily criticised the ongoing rehabilitation of the Linden-Soesdyke Highway, calling out the Ministry of Public Works for failing to provide adequate information about the project’s progress.

Solomon took umbrage at the Public Works Minister for only visiting Linden after the town council had raised concerns about the infrastructural works in a public notice a day prior. During a live Facebook broadcast, Solomon addressed the deplorable state of the highway during the rehabilitation process, which he lamented, is creating challenges for road users.

Solomon took to his Facebook live while Minister of Public Works Bishop Juan Edghill was on site.

“In that statement that went out, we had a knee-jerk reaction. Now we see the Minister taking to the highway. This highway was bad for the past two to three weeks. It was terrible, terrible, and to that extent, we have asked for attention and it is only when this council placed something in the public yesterday (Monday), now we got the Minister,” Solomon stated.

Solomon questioned the methods used by the contractors for the rehabilitation work. “I have never seen the Linden-Soesdyke Highway like this. I have been traveling that highway for 42 years. It was always done one lane at a time. If there is something different in engineering or contractor-wise, it’s only fair to let the people of Linden know what is happening. We are not unaware of how these highways are fixed and built,” Solomon explained. “You don’t have to do no sub base. The sub base is there. They are not digging to put down laterite; they are digging to put down bricks. So then explain to the public why you have to dig up almost seven miles of the road and leave it like that for almost four weeks. What sense does that make?” he questioned.

The mayor voiced frustration that voices in the community are not being heard. “Apparently, bad works in this country can be criticised by only the Vice President and those in the upper lounge, and I guess you have to be Secretary of State now to condemn, not just criticise, but pure condemn bad infrastructure. The community has been doing that, and we have been trying to refrain the community from acting without information.”

As such, Solomon urged the Ministry to ensure that safety measures, such as road lights and reflectors, are put in place. “You’re driving on the highway, and the dust makes it impossible for you to see ten feet ahead of you sometimes. You move from one section of the highway, which has been dug up, to a transitioning area with no signs on the road,” Solomon stated.

Meanwhile, Minister Edghill also took to Facebook Tuesday evening, acknowledging the issues raised by residents, including dust pollution, potholes, and vehicle damage. He stated that he had engaged with contractors and consultants to mitigate these inconveniences.

“We have gone through everything and we want to ensure that all the mitigating efforts are in place to ensure that we minimise the inconvenience, because whenever there is development, where there is major works, people suffer some inconvenience, but we also have the responsibility to address the dissatisfaction that exists and it is out of that spirit that we traverse there since early this morning and address those concerns,” Edghill said.

The Minister also noted that traffic management efforts were being improved to ensure greater safety along the highway. He identified speeding as a major concern. “The speeding is too much,” Edghill stated, adding that the best solution for road users during the rehabilitation process is to leave home earlier. “The immediate measure to bring resolution is that people have to start leaving home earlier so that the speeding on the highway is reduced.”

He said the speed limit will be reduced on sections of the highway currently under construction. He also provided an estimated timeline for the completion of the project, stating that it would take 18 months to two years.

“It’s not something that is going to be done in a couple of months; it’s a long carriageway with roundabouts to be built. But what we are doing right now is that within six months, we will have about 12 kilometres of road that is dug up, paved out, with drains installed. Six months from now, you’ll see significant sections of the highway completed,” Edghill assured.

In August 2024, the government signed a US$161 million contract with Trinidadian firm Namalco Construction Services, in a joint venture with Guyamerica Construction Inc. (Guyana), for the reconstruction of the Linden-Soesdyke Highway. The project is expected to accommodate the increasing tonnage traversing the highway daily and will see the installation of 2,900 streetlights, reflective road markings, and lay-bys for trucks.

(Linden Mayor slams ongoing works on Linden-Soesdyke Highway)

---

---