Diamond to Buzz Bee Dam Highway nearing completion

The continuation of the Heroes’ Highway from Diamond to Buzz Bee Dam on the East Bank Demerara is swiftly nearing completion.

Engineers responsible for the project provided President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali with an update during his site visit on Thursday.

President Ali urged the contractors to work day and night shifts to ensure the project is completed within the stipulated timeline.

He said no extension will be given after the deadline which is set for March this year.

“We have no intention of having these projects extend beyond the completion date,” he stated.

The Diamond to Buzz Bee Dam connection is the third phase of the highway, following the Mandela to Eccles and the Eccles to Diamond phases.

Sections of the project are at different stages, with one of the segments being as much as eighty per cent completed.

This road will connect Georgetown to Soesdyke, giving commuters the option to head to Linden along the Soesdyke/Linden Highway or to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport in Timehri.

The project is divided into six lots. It includes the construction of more than 30 reinforced concrete bridges, 8.6 kilometres of reinforced concrete highway roads, and two roundabouts.

Close to $11 billion in contracts were awarded for the completion of this phase of the project.

Contractors tasked with executing the project are GuyAmerica Construction, VALS Construction, China Railway First Group Co. Ltd, NABI, and H. Nauth and Sons Contracting Services.

Some $80.4 billion and $40.5 billion in contracts were also awarded for the Buzz Bee Dam to Land of Canaan, and Land of Canaan to Soesdyke sections respectively.

President Ali instructed the contractors to ensure a separate alignment is created for persons working on the Buzz Bee Dam to the Land of Canaan extension to move their materials.

This is to ensure that unnecessary strain is not placed on the newly completed roadway.

Budget 2025 allows for the expansion of new roadways, including the continuation of Linden to Mabura Road and the expansion of the Schoonord to Crane Highway.