$7m rehab work begins on Maryland HILL road

“The road will be completely restored and there should be no further problems there,” Imbert told Sunday Newsday.

The road had completely collapsed, with cave-ins at several points, making it completely inaccessible to vehicular traffic. It had been in that state for several years, cutting off access to the Upper Belmont Valley Road community from the Lady Young Road.

Worst affected had been the nearby Maryland RC School, with pupils having to negotiate a series of potholes and crevices to get to classes.

Following complaints about the deplorable state of the road, Imbert promised to address the problem, although he pointed out that it was a secondary road and was actually under the purview of local government authorities.

The minister also revealed that work will soon begin on Pashley Street, Laventille, where extensive land slippage had damaged several homes. He said the ministry will be contracting the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of the West Indies (UWI) to do geo-technical surveys.

“The problem there is the type of soil which is very unique to the Northern Range. It almost liquifies when it comes into contact with water. That is what caused all those collapses on Pashley Street,” Imbert explained.

He said the situation may need to be rectified through extensive drainage works and in-depth investigations are to begin soon. Work there should begin before year end, Imbert said.