Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan on Friday announced that the government will be extending the Ogle East Coast to Diamond East Bank Demerara Bypass road project further up to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).
The government has already approached the bilateral donor – the Government of India, to secure additional funding to continue the feasibility study for the project, which, Minister Jordan explained, will be done in the second phase.
Addressing members of the business community, other government officials and members of the diplomatic corps at the commissioning ceremony of DSL’s new distribution warehouse, Minister Jordan noted that the expansion will push further investment.
The original Diamond to Ogle project is currently in its first of three stages. Stage one; the Detailed Project Report Preparation commenced on April 13, 2018.
The second phase, the Construction Supervision will incorporate the link to CJIA.
According to Minister Jordan, the extension of the road will not affect the progress of the project.
“This is like a phase two. We are trying to use virgin territory. The money that was earmarked for the project by the Indian Government couldn’t even do to carry out the study when it started, so we had to get some more money.”
The government wants to take advantage of the existing resources for the Ogle to CJIA project and according to Minister Jordan, the “high-speed road” is being designed to cater for a rail system in the middle. He said that with the kind of resources expected from oil production, a rail transport system will become a reality allowing for a free flow from Georgetown to the CJIA.
“We expect that as a result of that, a lot of development will take place around that area.”
Meanwhile, the government has also received technical assistance from the Kuwait Arab Fund for Economic Development to carry out a study for the continuation of the widening of the road on the East Coast of Demerara from Belfield to Rosignol (Region Five), Mahaica-Berbice. The government has also been able to attract a study for a road from Parika (Region 3), Essequibo Island-West Demerara to Goshen, (Region 7), Cuyuni-Mazaruni. [Extracted from the Department of Public Information]
