(de Ware Tijd) PARAMARIBO – The funds the government needs to finish the road Meerzorg-Albina have been made available by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The US$ 40 million loan agreement was settled this week after months of preparations.
With this loan, the IDB has increased the funds it has made available for this road to US$ 102 million, while Suriname contributes US$ 14 million. The project must be finished in the coming three years. Work has been done on this road since 2008, with funds being provided by the IDB (US$ 62 million), the European Union (30 million Euros) and Dutch development aid (15 million Euros). Upon taking office, the incumbent Administration believed it was necessary to reinforce the road in anticipation of more and heavier transports of goods between Paramaribo and French Guiana. The additional funds mean the costs of the project will increase to around US$ 150 million.
“This integration road will facilitate transport to French Guiana and Brazil,” the IDB writes in a press release issued yesterday. Access to important economic zones will be improved, tourism encouraged and regional trade and integration will be promoted. The costs of traveling to Albina will drop and general safety is expected to improve. Travel time will be cut by nearly half to two-and-a-half hours. It has been calculated that the number of traffic accidents will drop by 15% and wear and tear to vehicles by 22%. The road will be broadened and improved. The project has a second part, namely the establishment of a management system for main roads, including weight controls for vehicles and the drafting of a National Traffic Safety Plan. “This road includes 10% of the most important arterial roads and handles 25% of the nation’s traffic. So its rehabilitation will have an enormous positive effect on the economy,” says IDB project leader Colin Forsythe.
