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Linden to Mabura Hill
Starting the journey from Linden, vehicles can drive at a fair speed and the road is wide enough to accommodate three lanes of traffic. The surface has been built with laterite, but its foundation is made of loam, bricks and white sand.
The road at this section is smooth with clear shoulders and revetments and by far this is the most relaxing part of the journey. Stabroek News understands that Omai Gold Mines Limited and Demerara Timbers Limited (DTL) are responsible for the upkeep of the highway up to the first stop from Linden at the Mabura Police Outpost where there is also a DTL outpost. Travel time to this point would be about an hour. Leaving the outpost the road leads to Mabura Hill, from where MMC began its work.
The journey from Mabura Hill to Kurupukari is about four hours, but unlike the preceding trail this stretch of road has a few holes made by the wheels of the bush trucks. An MMC worker told Stabroek News that they had smoothed the surface along this path, but because of rain and the trucks, the road has crumbled in some parts. He said MMC would return at a later date to repair the damage. The base of certain sections of this stretch appeared poorly constructed, but it was suggested that the right type of materials are not easily accessible in the area. MMC is using laterite and loam which are materials found in the area, but bricks which can add strength to the road base are not available. The MMC official noted that it would be very costly to transport bricks and other road reinforcement into that area. Once a vehicle gets through those rough patches the rest of the journey is smooth.
According to one worker, when rebuilding the road they would normally excavate its surface before adding a quantity of loam and white sand and laying the laterite on top. He explained that they would then smooth the road using a heavy-duty roller after which a little water would be sprinkled upon the surface.
Dangerous turns!
While the road to Kurupukari offers vehicles some level of comfort, it is a single lane and has many dangerous bends. It is advised that drivers not travel faster than 50 mph. Stabroek News observed that around some of the turns a vehicle in motion cannot detect an approaching one and this forces drivers to slow down on the turns and listen intently for oncoming vehicles. To compound the difficulties there are overgrown trees hanging precariously over the road.
It was noted that signs need to be put up for the various villages the road passes by. The trail is very dusty and vehicles need to keep a distance of at least 40 metres from those in front because of visibility problems. One miner told this newspaper that when it rains heavily in the area, because the water has no outlet it would usually settle on the road, causing longer delays on the journey. He observed that whenever there are such conditions, only the bush trucks can pass. There are a few culverts on the road with high bridges, some of which are in a bad state of repair, but those are not adequate enough to stop the flooding on the road, the miner added.
Toll fee
After about four hours of relatively smooth travelling if there is no rain, one should arrive at the Kurupukari crossing. A toll of $25,000 (return) is charged for trucks and $7,000 for any other vehicle. The toll fee is for the use of the road and for the MMC pontoon which transports the vehicles across the Essequibo River to Fair View. To many truckers the toll is exorbitant, considering what it used to be. Previously truckers paid $9,000 while smaller vehicles paid $3,500 which was half of the required toll, but MMC is adamant that the toll is required to help the firm to offset some of its expenses. Chairman of the Rupununi Chamber of Commerce, Mohamed Khan said, “we are happy that the government has finally awarded a contract for the stretch of road from Mabura Hill to Lethem, but the toll of $25,000 has increased the freight, thus increasing the cost of basic food items.” He said the Rupununi is already hit by a high cost of living and any further increase would be devastating to the livelihood of residents. But one businessman in Lethem said the truckers who are complaining about the toll are not really affected by it, but are more afraid of the competition the new upgraded road would pose since smaller vehicles would be able to traverse the trail.
Leaving Fair View vehicles enjoy 45 minutes of very smooth, well- graded road, but again, it is only a single lane trail and its shoulders are crowded with thick bush. After this portion vehicles have their biggest test when they encounter another 45 minutes of extremely rugged terrain consisting of a long stretch of huge potholes.
These are expected to be smoothed as soon as the MMC team reaches the area.
Leaving that spot there are a few short stretches with heavy sand along with rough laterite surfaces, but apart from these the road is relatively smooth. The last part of the journey which passes through the savannahs is smooth sailing.
The time from Fairview to Lethem is estimated at about five hours.
Speaking about the ministry’s plans, Baksh told Stabroek News that many persons would be questioning why the road was not done in asphalt and widened into four lanes: “We have to understand that it is very costly to transport the materials into that area.
To construct such a long road with asphalt would require international funding.” Signposts are to be erected along the road. Prime Minister Sam Hinds who also travelled up the trail last weekend was optimistic that within a year or two minibuses would be running the road. He was satisfied with the level of work that was being done by MMC and was hopeful that the improvements would contribute towards the region’s development and in the further enhancement of the residents’ lives.