Days after announcing the construction of an alternative road link to ease the traffic congestion on the East Bank of Demerara, President Irfaan Ali yesterday morning visited the proposed site for a new road link between East Bank Demerara and Georgetown.
“Because of the immediate need to ease the congestion we are now building this alternative connection and interconnection… We are looking at a four-lane connection from Eccles to Mandela Avenue and hopefully by October, November we can have that ready,” President Ali said at the conclusion of his tour.
The project which falls under the Ministry of Housing and Water is expected to be completed by November and aims to further reduce the traffic congestion during peak hours on the East Bank of Demerara four-lane Highway. During the familiarisation tour, discussions on alignment and placement of possible interconnectors were held.
Ali was accompanied on the visit by Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal and officials from the Central Housing and Planning Authority.
The road project will be funded by central government and according to Croal it has been in the works since Ali was Minister of Housing and Water. Croal yesterday told this newspaper that they are building on the plans that were left behind.
He noted that yesterday’s visit was a mapping exercise for the final design of the access road.
“We were looking at the alignments and things like where it will be feasible to put connectors… so the technical people have to now go back and do the necessary documentation and we take it from there,” the minister added.
Both Ali and Croal clarified that the road project is in no way connected to the India-funded Ogle to Diamond bypass road.
“All of this is to bring ease, fastest commute time, less wear and tear on vehicles, greater efficiency. The amount of manpower we lose in the traffic is not sustainable for our development, not sustainable for our citizens, the aim is to improve our standard of living and quality of life by reducing travel time,” the President was quoted as saying by the Office of the President.
He added that the project not only focuses on addressing traffic congestion, but also development and improving the lives of residents.
“This is part of the infrastructure transformation, an integration of communities, because now Diamond, Prospect, Eccles, Herstelling, Covent Garden, Mocha all these communities will be integrated,” the President said before noting that such development falls in line with his government’s urban development plan.
He further stated that they are working with the police to ensure the road is equipped with safety measures such as lighting, signage and police presence.
A statement from his office disclosed that he proposed having a modernised system to police the road, which would include the building of police towers and a Wi-Fi system connected to cameras which would automatically ticket errant drivers. “We will have tower-to-tower connection, so if someone is speeding at tower one, that person would be caught on camera and can be stopped by police at tower two. We need to look at smarter, safer and more modern ways going forward”, he said, according to a release from his office.
Just last week, the President on his Facebook page, announced an alternative road link from 6th Avenue Diamond to Eccles is under construction and an entire stretch of road has already been paved with asphalt.
Minister within the ministry, Susan Rodrigues had told Stabroek News that the road is being constructed at the back of Great Diamond, Little Diamond, and Prospect – areas that have been opened up for housing projects. “The road is very crucial not only for the housing schemes but to address the traffic congestion on the East Bank,” she had said.
The minister noted too that the contractors are working on a very tight schedule and frequent checks are being made on the progress of the project. This road is scheduled to be operational by April.
