As efforts continue to ease the traffic congestion on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD), 12 contractors were awarded contracts totalling about $13.3 billion for works on the new four-lane highway from Eccles to Diamond.
These contracts were signed on Wednesday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre at Liliendaal, Georgetown.
This highway has been divided into 12 sections, stretching some 9.4 kilometres (or just less than six miles). The road will be fully concrete, replete with bridges, drains, paving and other supporting infrastructure.
Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal on Wednesday highlighted that the works on the Eccles to Diamond highway are expected to last between 15 and 18 months, starting from January 2022.
Importantly, this new highway is part of a wider roadway link from Mandela Avenue in Georgetown to Diamond on the East Bank. Works have already commenced on the Eccles to Mandela four-lane highway and a Mocha/ Diamond interlink road has been opened.
When the entire road project from Mandela Avenue to Diamond is completed, the daily traffic congestion along the East Bank corridor should be significantly reduced. Minister Croal also explained that there are more than 22,000 households along this roadway that will directly benefit from the freer flow of traffic.
He, however, emphasised, “… it also will result in increased commercial activity along this belt- the Diamond to Mandela in completion.”
This will be possible since he reminded the gathering of contractors that the new highway is expected to connect with another roadway link: the Eccles (East Bank) to Ogle (East Coast) road link.
And that new pathway will open up lands for further development, including the creation of new housing areas and business activity.
While Croal talked up the benefits of the road project, Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water Susan Rodrigues reminded the gathering that this project was conceptualised many years ago but was scrapped with the change in government.
In fact, the project commenced while the President served as the Housing Minister prior to 2015.
Now, with increased commercial activity along the East Bank corridor- including the creation of shore bases for the nascent oil and gas industry- there is a much greater need to ease the enduring traffic woes.
The 12 contractors who received the contracts are:
- Guyamerica Construction Inc. – $1.2 billion
- V. Dalip Enterprise $889.9 million
- Colin Talbot Contracting Services and Eron Lall Civil Engineering Works (joint venture)- $1.3 billion
- KP Thomas and Sons contracting Inc. – $1.4 billion
- S. Jagmohan Construction and General Supplies Inc. – $1.2 billion
- H. Nauth and Sons – $1.1 billion
- JS Guyana Inc. – $1.2 billion
- VALs Construction and AJM Enterprise (joint venture)- $1.1 billion
- China Railway First Group Company Ltd. – $1.02 billion
- Aronco Services Inc. – $753 million
- Ivor Allen – $825 million
- Puran Brothers Disposal Inc. and Khemraj Nauth Contracting Services (joint venture) – $964 million
