Works advancing on Schoonord to Crane highway

Construction of the new Schoonord to Crane four-lane highway is moving apace, and with two of the 11 lots almost complete, Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal said on Friday, noting that the project is expected to be done by the end of May this year.

“Of the 11 lots, at least seven are above 50 percent and two of those lots are practically complete. Just some finishing works on those,” Croal told the News Room during a telephone interview.

The new $11.8 billion Schoonord, West Bank Demerara to Crane, West Coast Demerara four-lane highway is a transformative and modern project.

It will significantly alleviate traffic congestion on the West Coast of Demerara.

Croal said two lots are below the 50 percent progress rate and mechanisms have been put in place to address this.

“Each lot will have different outstanding. For example, the two that are more advanced, all that is required is some backfilling, the edge of the road, etc and then we will have to put the road markings. So that is like a completion.

“The others behind, some will still have to do the paving…so those are the type of works that are required. But we have done a bit of concrete work already on some of the lots,” Croal explained.

Despite the minor issues, Croal told the News Room that the highway is expected to be completed by the end of May this year.

The project will see the construction of 4.1 kilometers of a dual carriageway reinforced concrete road with an emergency lane as well as 2.4 kilometers of road rehabilitation and upgrade.

It will also feature two roundabouts, 11 reinforced concrete box culverts, 36 pre-stressed bridges, and road signage and markings.

The contract for the highway was awarded to eight contractors– VR Construction Inc., Avinash Contracting & Scrap Metal Inc., L-Heureuse Construction and Services Inc., Guyamerica Construction Inc., AJM Enterprise, Vals Construction, Puran Bros Disposal Inc., and JS Guyana Inc.