Huge hole on $6B Sheriff/Mandela Road damaging vehicles

Multiple vehicles are reportedly being damaged byahugeholelocatedafew metres away from Duncan Street along the newly built US$31M ($6.5B) Sheriff/ Mandelaroad.

On Sunday, motorists wereforcedtoplaceatyrein front of the hole to warn driversafterapitbullbusfell intothehole,duringtheearly morninghours.

The bus was reportedly badly damaged and could not continue its journey It had to be pulled out and pushed to the side of the road. In fact, the driver was forced to leave it there and call another vehicle to transport his passengers and some equipment he had on board.

Residents living close to the damaged section of the roadsaidthatthepitbullbus is just one of many vehicles that frequently fall into the holeonadailybasis.

“The noise it makes when vehicles fall in, especially at nights when there is not much traffic, jumps you out of your sleep”,onewomansaid. The residents added too that mere hours before the bus fell in, two other vehicles, one of them a police vehicle, were also damagedbythehole.

“It has also caused few accidents that could have ended fatally as well” another resident related During a visit to the area

Kaieteur News was shown markings of accidents that havetakenplacecloseatthe damaged section and according to the residents, mostofthemwerecausedby drivers suddenly swerving away from the hole, in a bid to avoid damaging their vehicles.

K a i e t e u r N e w s understandsthattheholehas been there for over a year Repairs were done but somehow that section of the road would always get damagedagain.

The Sheriff/Mandela road was built by Chinese Contractor, Sinohydro

Corporation Limited with a US$31M IDB loan Constructionbeganin2018, but the project was plagued withmanysetbackswithone ofthembeingthecompany’s non-compliancewithhealth, safety, and traffic managementstandards.

As result of its noncompliance, the IDB had ceased funding until the Chinesecontractorstartedto comply with the required standards.

The road was finally completed late last year but not before several defects had to be corrected by the Sinohydro.