Retaining walls were started in the formerly-wide ravine that runs between Phases Two and Three in Macoya Gardens, Tunapuna, at the beginning of this year. The work was done by several different groups of workers, under different contractors, with weeks and sometimes months passing between any activity taking place.
It now appears to be close to the end and the following can be observed:
1. The ravine is about two-thirds the width it was before the retaining walls were built, ie, it's narrower;
2. There is a huge build-up of mud and junk at the bottom of the ravine because so much of the work was done during the rainy season;
3. All of the bamboo trees along the sides of the ravine were removed at the onset of the work, and have not been replanted, the very bamboo trees whose roots were keeping the ravine walls intact for decades–thus makes residents wonder about the purpose of this wall;
4. Residents on the higher side of the ravine (Phase Two) have been facing extreme dust and noise for nearly a year now;
5. Residents on the lower side (Phase Three), which is very prone to flooding, have been facing extreme dust and noise; and the drains running from their yards, which previously emptied into the ravine, are now blocked, leading to flood water backup.
Additionally, work done on the roadway bridge over the ravine (on Gladioli Boulevard, at the entrance of Phase Three) prior to this retaining wall work, was "completed" about two years ago, with the following results:
1. The road was not properly repaved–it's uneven and has been sinking in various spots. The asphalt has not been evenly applied with some areas looking as though contractors ran out of asphalt and simply packed up and left;
2. The drain opposite the homes closest to the bridge has been left in disarray and flood water from the road does not run into the ravine as it did prior to the works. Instead, the road is flooded every time there is heavy rain;
3. The "temporary" Bailey bridge that was set up is not in use, as the piles of gravel the then-contractors placed for residents to drive onto the bridge were removed. However, that now unused bridge, which is overgrown with insect- and rodent-encouraging bush, is still there. What a huge eyesore for the community.
Why is such shoddy work being done in Macoya Gardens? Was this an attempt to gain political points before the general election? I'd say all sides would have lost points over this. The area is in a mess and no one is doing anything to actually make it better–only worse! The roads in the area as a whole haven't been paved in about 30 years. And the work around this ravine is causing the already mediocre roadways to become even more untidy, with the number of extra heavy trucks and construction vehicles passing through.
Would someone sensible and in authority, whether from the Regional Corporation or ministry, please take a proper look at what is going on in the area and have some proper changes made within a decent time frame?
Bea Francis