Up to 1 am today, officials and workers were on Woolford Avenue removing vending stalls and cleaning the area as they pushed to complete drainage works in time for the reopening of schools tomorrow.
The stalls outside St Joseph High School were moved to facilitate the works. An official at the scene assured vendors that the structures were not being destroyed and said the authorities would engage those affected over their relocation.
Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Priya Manickchand, speaking at the site at around 10 pm on Saturday, said the work would be completed before tomorrow.
“We are finishing this thing to be done before Monday. I am telling you. All of my staff, we are finishing this before Monday,” she declared.
“Once we make a commitment, once we make a promise, we take it seriously,” Manickchand added.
She praised the ministry’s engineers, who she said had never before been required to complete a task of this nature within such a short period.
“I’m very, very proud of the engineers…who have really thrown themselves behind making sure this is done,” she said.
According to Manickchand, the work was being expedited to accommodate more than 6,000 children expected in the area for the reopening of schools, along with over 3,000 teachers, parents and other adults.
She apologised for the inconvenience caused by the construction of concrete drains along the busy avenue, acknowledging that the project had created messy and disruptive conditions for parents, teachers and others preparing for the new school term.
“I know there are some parents and teachers who had to do some pre-school opening preparation, and you may have been irritated, and I get that and I apologise,” she said.
However, Manickchand said such disruption was unavoidable during major infrastructure works. She said the new drains would improve the flow of water and reduce flooding and water accumulation in the area.
Woolford Avenue is home to several schools and other public facilities and experiences heavy vehicular and pedestrian traffic, particularly during school hours. Concerns have previously been raised about road safety along the corridor, including students’ use of pedestrian crossings.
Manickchand also pointed to ongoing investments in educational infrastructure, including construction at St Joseph High School and rehabilitation and expansion works at Queen’s College, The Bishops’ High School and other institutions.
“Five years from now, the children coming to these schools will have no clue that this didn’t exist. It’s going to be beautiful when we finish,” she said.
An official at the site thanked the agencies and workers involved, saying the improved infrastructure would primarily benefit students, teachers and other users of the area.
“At the end of the day, this project will largely benefit the children, and that’s who we’re here to serve,” the official said.
Woolford Avenue has long been affected by drainage and road-safety concerns. In the past Stabroek News published photographs showing sections of the avenue inundated following record rainfall in Georgetown.
The roadway was resurfaced in 2016 and bids were later invited for the construction of a sidewalk between Vlissengen Road and Albert Street. At the time, concerns were raised about speeding vehicles and the safety of children, given the presence of five schools along the relatively narrow corridor. Planned road-safety works were subsequently delayed pending approval for the award of a contract.
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