Hinds views collapsed road in Laventille

As promised, Laventille West MP Fitzgerald Hinds has paid a visit to residents of Abraham Lane, Upper Pashley Street, Laventille, along with technicians from the Ministry of Works PURE initiative and officials from the San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation.

They went to assess the conditions of the road, which began splitting open after extensive land slippage in the area.

The site visit was the first of several steps which need to be taken to repair the collapsing road.

Hinds told Newsday at the site that the collapsing road was not the only one in Pashley Street and environs. Noting similar issues in Wharton Street and Harlem, Hinds said the phenomenon of landslips causing severe damage to roads in Laventille was a combination of poor planning, bad infrastructure and the natural watercourses that literally spring up from underground.

“These areas developed in a very unplanned way. And over the years the government had to catch up and put roads where there were tracks, and put drains where there were ravines, and put schools, health offices and police stations where there were none,” Hinds said.

He said he had read a report from UWI which identified that this area contained many springs, which caused soil erosion and hence land slippage.

" This is exacerbated by surface water where people have homes without guttering and drains that are not connected.

"I just saw a big drain – well constructed – but it is dry. Some individual contractor would have done that folly.

"But now the water runs down the road, and the steps are wet and mossy.”

Hinds added that he intends to contact the CEO of WASA to discuss a permanent solution to a burst water main which has been repaired a number of times, but bursts soon after.

Newsday was told repairs to that line had been made up to a week ago.

“WASA has been here on my instructions ad nauseam. I have a note to talk to WASA today. I will speak to its CEO and I will have a serious conversation (on) that and I hope to see a more permanent solution to that problem.”

San Juan/Laventille Corporation councillor Adanna Griffith-Gordon told Newsday, after the assessment done by PURE officials and corporation engineers on Tuesday, a report will have to be sent to the Ministry of Works. Then soil testing and other tests would have to be done before actual repairs could be done to the road.

Residents of Abraham Lane expressed gratitude to the minister for responding personally to the report of the collapsing road, but noted that while they exercise patience, the road continues to slip.

Yesterday they measured the difference since the landslip occurred on August 21. On its last measurement the land had slipped 31 inches.