Govt. spending over $3B to fix roads in Regions 3&4

Aug 01, 2022 News

A road being paved presently at Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, Region Three

Kaieteur News – The Ministry of Public Works is planning to expend a whopping $1.439 billion to rehabilitate and construct 16 different roads in Region Three (Essequibo Islands- West Demerara).

In an Invitation For Bids (IFB) published in yesterday’s Kaieteur News, the Ministry also indicated that another $1.652 billion is estimated to construct or conduct repairs in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica). A total of 32 roads in the capital region will be upgraded. The Ministry did not specify which of the roads is new infrastructure or roads in need of repairs. In Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), two roads will be upgraded to the tune of $300 million, while $105million is estimated to conduct repairs in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice). One project is on the cards for Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) that is expected to cost $44 million according to the Engineer’s estimate.

In Region Three, the roads will be upgraded in Tuschen, Zeelugt, Greenwich Park and Canal Number One and Two. Some of the areas to be upgraded in Region Four include LBI, Cummings Lodge and Coldigen on the East Coast of Demerara. On the East Bank of Demerara, specific roads in Herstelling, Diamond , Grove, Coverden and others have been earmarked.
Meanwhile, the Black Bush Polder Road in Region Six and the Burma Road in Region Five are also slated to be rehabilitated.

Only in February, this publication reported that the Ministry of Public Works was preparing to spend over $2 billion out of its $76.7 billion budgetary allocation to facilitate the continued rehabilitation and construction of a number of roads in the country. The Ministry in a public notice had invited bids for the ‘Rehabilitation of Public and Main Access Roads, Miscellaneous and Hinterlands Roads’.

The Ministry’s budget, which was passed in the National Assembly on February 10, would see the spending of $3.4 billion for hinterland roads and another $15.2 billion for the construction and rehabilitation of urban and community roads across the country.