Work underway to repair key GT highway
(CNS): Motorists heading into town could face delays in the coming weeks as the National Roads Authority undertakes repair work to the Linford Pierson Highway — a major artery into the capital. Officials said that damaged sections of the road are being removed and replaced through asphalt rotor milling which was described as a cost effective and environmentally friendly method of repairing a road surface that has begun to crack or sink due to heavy traffic loading, adverse weather conditions, or extensive structural damage to the underlying road surface layers.
The goal, the road experts said was to intervene early enough to address defects in the pavement layer and prevent any significant structural damage to the base and sub-base layers of the roadway which would be inherently more expensive and time consuming to repair.
“When this road was constructed in 2002 it was only given a 2” thick layer of hot mix asphalt,” said NRA Acting Managing Director Paul Parchment. “Within say 4-5 years, it should have had another 2” added to it to bring it to a total of 4”. That has never been done and the initial 2” layer, which is now 12 years old, is starting to show serious distress and this can only be expected to continue.
Chairman of the NRA Donnie Ebanks said the need to remove parts of the road was a legacy of not have followed the technical
“I’m sure that to many motorists there are roads that they see as being in a ‘worse condition’ than the LP Highway,” Ebanks said. “However, the only way to avoid the failure of more of the original hot mix asphalt layer, and in turn to have to remove it, is to address it now. It’s akin to leaving the ice ’n’ water shield on your roof too long, before you install the shingles of standing seam.”
The overall objective is to provide the public with a new road surface on the Linford Pierson Highway between the Silver Oaks Roundabout and Bobby Thompson Way within the next two budget cycles. The total thickness will be 4” and that should, the technicians say, serve motorists for many years to come.
The NRA plans to undertake similar activities on a smaller scale in Bodden Town, North Side, and East End in the coming months. As a result drivers are asked to be patience and drive with extra caution as he repairs are carried out.
Category: Local News
What a bad job It seems that it was paved by people whom had no idea how to pave a road
uneven, wavey, pitched incorrectly, seam not correct.
what a TOTAL waste of money
there was absolutely NOTHING wrong with that road
but ok .. tonight i gonna throw out my desk, because in 5 years it will be old and bad and it would need replacing
so let me throw it out NOW !!!
what a bunch of morons !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
so pissed off !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think that this would be a good time to try an experiment. Switch Crewe Road to 2 lanes eastbound and LPHto 2 lanes westbound. A bit of additional driving but traffic should flow better. Plus would delay the need to construct additional lanes on LPH. Maybe forever.
Good idea but at theend of the day at both sides the traffic for the most part is going to come to one point where it will merge and become an issue. They could at least make the lph one-way during rush-hour while they do this work to help out so only westbound in the morning and eastbound in the evening.
You know what the tradegy with road repairs and development on Grand Cayman is? It is that the Government/NRA has to hire private sector paving companies, like Island Paving, to do work whilst NRA paving equipment is stuck on Cayman Brac and the selfish politicians refuse to send the pavings equipment back to Grand Cayman. The consequence is that costs to the public purse are that much higher! The Brac politicians have the nerve to say that they have more roads to pave on the Brac and if that exercise is ever finished, the paving equipment must be sent to Little Cayman. The paving equipment was purchased by Government/NRA to reduce costs, as there would no longer be a need to use private sector companies equipment. The need for road paving is not really the driving force for road works on the Brac, it is just one way of keeping persons in work on the Brac. So, to the Brac politicians, would they support Government providing unnecessary schemes on Grnad Cayman, to reduce the number of unemployed persons on Grand Cayman? I somehow doubt it. I understand that they have to pave the roads on the Bluff next. Road works on the Brac will never stop unless there is a public outcry on Grand Cayman.
It's absolutely amazing how people can fail to understand what is being explained to them.
But then, I'm sure these are the same people who don't take their mechanics advice when he says that they need to replace the brake pads before they need a major rotor job or their bodyman's advice when he says they should repaint their car before it actually rusts out.
People moan that roads don't get maintained and now their moaning when they do! Read the article properly:
"The goal, the road experts said was to intervene early enough to address defects in the pavement layer and prevent any significant structural damage to the base and sub-base layers of the roadway which would be inherently more expensive and time consuming to repair."
Not looking forward to even worse traffic build-up in the mornings whilst this is going on…….
Waste! NRA obviously has some serious issues prioritizing…
Please fix Admirals Landing to Mangrove Avenue! That is one horrible stretch of road!
There was absolutely NOTHING wrong with this road to begin with! I drive it every single day to and from work. Talk about wasting money, poor planning and even worse timing, there is new development currently in the works directly off that road as we speak whose heavy trucks and equipment are sure to dig holes in your brand new road very very soon. CIG, what areyou thinking man?! And like a previous poster said – why isn't this being done by the NRA? Why no tendering ads? How about focusing on the other roads that are more in need such as; Smith Road? Hospital 4-Way? Or anywhere in Industrial Park? Or Rum Point Drive? Newlands side roads? Or so many others that I am not familiar with that I am sure are much more in need of repair. Just don't get the train of thought behind this one at all…
Total waste of our money….if they want to repair a road just go to the road in front of the Stand shopping centre….that needs repair but the Lindford Pierson Highway????….ridiculous!
The road you are referring to is not government's responsibility to repair. It forms part of a private subdivision, which is a grey area in terms of ownership and who is responsible for its up keep.
where is planning? when I want to put a little deck onto my house, i was treated like it was a crime. Why isn't the planning department all over this, like thy're over me and my lil patio?
It isn't the road to Canal Point that is the problem. The road between West Bay Road and ETH which has the entrance to The Strand complex off it that is in a terrible condition. That probably isn't a private road.
repairing roads that don't need it????
what about the road at the strand on smb… one of the busiest roads used by tourists but makes cayman look like the 3rd world………….
welcome to wonderland……
cayman is almost third world, you stay there.
it is private road which government don’t have any responsibility for that road
is the Planning Department not government? Hello!
Nothing was wrong with that road. Total waste of money, Why don't they fix the road in Northside Rum Point Drive that has so many pot holes and is a chip and spray!!!
What was wrong with the road? We would be better off repairing some of the streets that reply need it.
And while we are on the subject, why is The NRA not doing this job? I never noticed any tender requests in the newspapers. Just saying.
Comment at 07:22:
The above article states what was wrong with the road. Did you not read it? Did you just skip to the comments? Please refer above for that answer!
It sees to me that the comment at 7:22 was the first one posted so itwould have been difficult to read any others ? Some people are so thick!
To improve this road would make sense IF all other roads needing desperate attention were done AND they had ample funds to do it BUT to spend precious few dollars on one road makes absolutely no sense to anyone who can see the need for repairs to other roads. Would this make sense if they now said that they have no money for other roads as they spent everything they had on the LP bypass?
The NRA can't do the job because Sister Julianna moved all their equipment to the Brac and Brother Moses says it must stay until all the work is done.
Fully agree that the surface could have easily gone another 3-4 years before any resurfacing needs dooing. I thought it was NRA spending money they had in a budget so they could get the same amounts next year but… Not them? Who approves this sort of thing?
There's nothing wrong with that road, there are so many others that deserve attention. A make work project if ever I saw one and a waste of money.
of course it is a make work project. gotta spend that budget on something, the more useless the better. and no break in imports duty in the near future. spend, spend, spend.