Edghill pushes use of more concrete, less wood for future infrastructure projects

More infrastructural works, including large transformative projects, are planned for areas across Guyana but Public Works Minister Juan Edghill says that fewer wooden materials should be used going forward as the government is concerned about durability.

Edghill, at the recent commissioning of a concrete plant at Little Diamond, East Bank of Demerara (EBD), said that the government is seeking to modernise Guyana.

In doing so, he believes there needs to be a shift away from the reliance on wooden materials since those products may not be as durable or long lasting compared to other building materials like prestressed concrete.

In illustrating his point, the Public Works Minister related that there are about eight new hotels under construction that require sturdy infrastructure.

“We have to put in the foundation, we have to put in the piles.

“We can’t keep putting in wood posts that wood ants eat out and you have to change it,” the Public Works Minister said at the event.

Even with the upgrades to the East Coast Demerara railway embankment, Edghill noted that the ministry is seeking to replace steel panels with concrete.

Later, Edghill was asked if the ministry would require a phase-out of wooden materials in public infrastructure projects and whether this consideration would be part of future contracts.

And in response, he said: “Why would we want to be changing bridges every eight to 10 years when there is the technology and the opportunity for (it to be done) every 50 years?

“…we have to build sustainable and resilient infrastructure.”

With the ongoing construction boom and infrastructural transformation in Guyana, he reasoned that better solutions are needed and that facilities like the new concrete plant will be instrumental in helping the country move towards more sophisticated infrastructure.

With local capacity to create the much-needed raw materials, Edghill also said that projects can be completed much faster.