Zeelugt New Housing Scheme is benefitting from the construction of a second entrance and exit at a cost of $22M by the Government, through the Regional Administration of Essequibo Islands-West Demerara (Region Three), the Department of Public Information (DPI) says.
The construction encompasses a heavy-duty bridge with reinforced concrete abutments, steel beams and decking, timber revetment and asphaltic concrete approaches which cost $14M. The remaining $8M pertains to a road which involved heavy land clearing, landfilling to shoulders, white sand and white sand/sand-clay sub bases, crusher run and an asphaltic concrete surface. Also included in the work is a heavy-duty polyethylene culvert and reinforced concrete (RC) headwall.
Speaking to DPI, Shonrick Zepher, a driver living in Phase 1 Zeelugt, New Scheme said, “This is tremendous progress for the people of Zeelugt. Anyone that complains about this infrastructural improvement is a pessimist to development. I have lived in this scheme for just over six years and never thought this would happen and here now I can drive on asphalt road and cross a big trench easily and reach my home comfortably.”
Randolph Lee Bhanpersaud, another resident from Phase 2 said “No longer do we have to have congestion at the one main entrance and exit. We have two now and that is development indeed in our community. This bridge and road not only benefit us directly by making egress and ingress easier but it also creates an environment for greater economic development in our community simply because there will be an increase of traffic flow at this end of the scheme, allowing people the opportunity to open more businesses and the like. I must thank the region for this visionary thinking”.
Regional Executive Officer Denis Jaikaran noted the project came at the request of the residents following a community outreach with Minister of State Joseph Harmon.
