The recently completed asphalt road known, as the Barrack Retreat Corridor, in Lethem, Region Nine, was officially commissioned by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo during a brief ceremony held on Friday.
According to a Department of Public Information (DPI) report, Nagamootoo was joined by several other ministers, including the Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson, for the ceremony.
During his remarks at the event, Hinterland Engineer and Chief of Works, Geoffrey Vaughn, was quoted as saying that $473 million was spent on the road, which was completed in three phases since the project started in 2017.
The four-lane road is said to be equipped with a drainage system, sidewalks, concrete gutter, and curbs along with an underground concrete drainage tubes and manholes.
Meanwhile, Nagamootoo told residents that the coalition government is committed to them and initiatives like the road will take the country forward. He then recalled his first visit to Lethem, saying “Rupununi was in a simple word just bush, and Lethem at that time, was a village. It is under this government, Lethem has become a town.”
He added that it takes a vision to move a village to township status.
The DPI report further stated that the prime minister went on to say that once the Industrial Site complex is completed, the town will be able to manufacture and market its own products. “We need to look forward to the future, better is coming. The government has promised this, a better quality of life for our people. We believe in the empowerment of our people, our women and our children,” the DPI quoted Nagamootoo as saying.
He also disclosed that the development of towns across the country is part of national development programme planned by the government. “He noted that during the Decade of Development (2020-2029), “we will see Guyana develop beyond of your imagination,” the report stated.
Lethem was officially declared a town in October 2017.