From swampland to highway: New Buzz Bee Dam project to connect East Coast and East Bank

President Dr Irfaan Ali announced that a new road project is unfolding at Buzz Bee Dam, one that will birth a new connection between the East Coast and East Bank corridors.

During a site visit on Tuesday, President Ali stated that the infrastructure work currently underway at Buzz Bee Dam, Craig, will connect the Mandela-Eccles corridor, Heroes Highway, and the Ogle Highway. This effectively links Georgetown, the East Bank, and the East Coast of Demerara.

Additionally, the highway at Buzz Bee Dam is being extended to Land of Canaan, further south on the eastern bank of the Demerara River. In mid 2025, the Diamond to Buzz Bee Dam roadway opened.

According to a release from the Department of Public Information, the Buzz Bee Dam area, once swamp land, is now being transformed into a major transportation hub that will create a corridor linking the East Bank to the East Coast.

“The massive drainage structures have been placed on both sides of the road, both coming in and going all the way down the highway. What you’re seeing here is a full understanding of development and urban planning,” President Ali was quoted as saying. 

President Ali also reportedly highlighted the extensive preparatory works required to construct the roadway, pointing out that contractors had to excavate up to five to six feet of swamp material in some areas before meticulously rebuilding the foundation.

“This shows you the magnitude and level of work that is needed to achieve the type of development and transformation you will see,” he said.

Intakab Indarjeet, Deputy Director of Projects at the Central Housing & Planning Authority (CH&PA), in the DPI release, explained that the work included clearing land, digging soft material, backfilling with sand, installing vertical drains, using geotextile fabric, and adding layers of sand to help speed up settlement for long-term stability.

Indarjeet informed President Ali that Lot One of the project is approximately 33 per cent complete, with the overall development divided into eight lots. The four-lane highway will include medians, safety features, margin sealing and pull-off lanes, and will extend towards Land of Canaan.

President Ali acknowledged that land acquisition challenges initially slowed progress but said those issues have now been resolved.

The president further highlighted the integration of major transmission lines and drainage infrastructure into the project, noting that 28 major drainage structures will be constructed between Buzz Bee Dam and Land of Canaan to ensure effective drainage from the conservancy, backlands and residential areas.

“This is critical drainage. It’s very important to drain the backlands and also to drain residential communities,” President Ali said.

Looking ahead, the head of state explained that the highway is being designed to interconnect with the Linden–Soesdyke Highway, extend towards Timehri, link to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, and support the development of the new Silica City.

He added that several major housing developments along the Linden–Soesdyke corridor, comprising nearly 2,500 new homes, will directly benefit from the improved transportation network.

“This is the level of effort and scale of effort needed for us to meet the housing demand in Region Four. A lot of this work happens behind the scenes, but this is what is required,” the president said.

The president emphasised that the highways are being constructed to strict international standards and are fully designed and supervised by Guyanese engineers.