Commuters will soon see some ease in the traffic woes on the East Bank of Demerara as the Diamond to Eccles bypass road link is slated to be commissioned in a month’s time.
This was revealed by the Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues on Friday during an interview with the News Room. The construction of the road has been completed but the ministry is awaiting the completion of a bridge before it is fully open to the public.
“The road between Eccles and Diamond is almost complete and we are looking to commission that road within the next 30 days,” the minister said.
“We are just waiting for the completion of one connecting bridge [and] that is taking some time, but the road is completed…already the lights have been installed so that is nearly ready.”
The opening of the new road link and the soon-to-be-completed Eccles to Mandela road would bring considerable relief to commuters who use the East Bank corridor daily and are forced to contend with long lines and traffic buildup. Further, the bypass link helped to open much-needed lands for house lots and community developments, the minister added.
“.…when we [came in office], we saw the need for the project to immediately to ease the traffic congestion on the East Bank, and also to open up new lands for Guyanese so that link is very, very important,” the junior Housing Minister said.
The alternative link was first announced in 2015 by former President Donald Ramotar. It is being done in conjunction with a bypass road from the East Bank to Ogle on the East Coast of Demerara.
This road is among a number of other road projects on stream, including the Ogle to Diamond bypass road, which is also expected to further reduce the traffic issues along the East Bank corridor. The East Coast-East Bank Linkage Project will extend from Ogle to Haags Bosch.
President Irfaan Ali had said that the road would not just link the communities and ease congestion, but enhance the quality of life for residents. He spoke of having a government hub close to the roadway which would not only house the police, army, fire service, and medical emergency, but also a new school.
Guyanese can also expect to benefit from infrastructural transformation and spin-off benefits from the construction of a four-lane highway in Region Three, from the new Demerara Harbour Bridge to Parika.
President Ali has a larger plan for the East Bank corridor promising heavy investments in road infrastructure.
