Continuous setbacks for the Amaila Falls Access Road have caused the completion deadline to be pushed back once again, Transport and Hydraulics Minister Robeson Benn has said.
During the consideration of the 2013 budget estimates Benn said, “Under the current arrangements we will not see a completion of this road substantially inclusive of section seven until the end of this year.” Benn also stated that the current $2.35 billion budget may also require revisions as the ministry has once again severed construction contracts and have hired yet another company to complete the project. Benn said the new contract with the China Railway First Group (CRFG) was not accessible at that point in time, but he would produce the details. Back in September the government travelled to China and signed an engineering, procurement and construction agreement that included the cost of the hydroelectric project and transmission lines to the tune of US$506 million with CRFG.
Benn said that by July 2013 the road from section two to section six would be finished but section seven was continuously an issue. The three sacked contractors that were responsible for the completion of section seven have stated that the rainforest presented a real problem, he noted.
Leader of the AFC Khemraj Ramjattan called on the minister to be specific with the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
Benn stated that the study was ongoing: “We are working on it, it is an ongoing thing there are reports every month for the various sections with respect to the environmental compliance.”
Adding that rehabilitation requirements and placement of displaced animals were also necessary follow-ups, Benn said there were teams to report on the environmental impact while the road is being built. He said the EIA was done alongside the IDB’s to ensure international compliance.
Moving on the opposition noted that the Kuribrong Bridge was not part of the $2.35B budget. Benn then broke down the entire road budget including section seven for 2013 which would be an additional $839 million. The bridge, he said, would be to the tune of $393 million.
APNU’s Joseph Harmon asked Benn if the budget would need revision as both section seven and the bridge had been problematic in the past.
Benn said that it was a possibility at this point and the only way to know was to wait and see; this answer was not sufficient for the opposition.
But Benn was forced to give the same answer when APNU MP Carl Greenidge asked about the new end-of-year deadline. Greenidge noted that the budget projects had originally been designed for a July deadline and inquired if additional costs would arise in the additional five months given to complete the road.
Benn said: “there were delays, there were upsets and we had to do like I said two evaluations just now, we will be able to share those with you as we determine the costs.”
East Bank Highway
Benn had to answer additional questions for the Speaker who asked about the ponds of stagnant water that currently have no draining path along the four-lane highway expansion. Benn stated that as the sections are completed a draining system will be put in place to assist the flow of water. He said line drains were smaller but they worked to flush water away quicker and in Guyana this was a “useful” measure.
Benn said that the over $1 billion budget for the highway expansion was inclusive of “implementation support” for $1.2 million and road safety measures for $38.9 million. Benn stated that implementation support was necessary to better facilitate cohesion between the various contractors for the highway sections.
