Guapo pothole filled, cordoned off after car falls into it

THE pothole in Cochrane Village, Guapo in Point Fortin, which went viral on social media after a car fell into it, has since been filled and cordoned off.

On Thursday morning, photos of a black car stuck in the pothole began circulating. Many social media users called on the Ministry of Works and Transport not just to fix the road but to compensate the driver for any damage.

A few hours afterwards, a crew from the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) was seen at the site assessing the section of the road.

The Works Ministry later issued a press release saying it "notes with concern the circulation of social media posts depicting a vehicle plunged in a pothole."

It said in March, the ministry had told WASA about an active water leak there and submitted a report to the authority to repair it, "given its potential impact to the roadway if left unaddressed."

It added that it is aware of the public's concerns about the condition of the country's roads, but said, "current economic circumstances have not afforded the opportunity to affect the demands.

"To date, 25 tenders are in the process of being awarded to small contractors who will work alongside in-house crews to accelerate road repairs throughout the island."

It said it would "continue to collaborate with WASA" to develop "and streamline" a system to improve these efforts, "thereby enhancing the operation of both entities."

What the pothole the car got stuck in looks like now pic.twitter.com/jIEhqiZ2rc

— Narissa Fraser (@rhopico) June 10, 2022

Newsday asked WASA's corporate communciations manager Daniel Plenty if WASA was indeed told about the leak in March and if so, what caused the delay in repairing it.

He said, "We are currently investigating the matter, based on information provided by Ministry of Works."

Social media users questioned why it took someone's car being damaged for the pothole to be fixed.