The Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal on Friday inspected the site where the bridge to link the Great Diamond-Herstelling Road and Mocha Arcadia Main Access Road is being built.
According to a release from the Ministry, the Minister was visiting several projects on the East Bank Demerara when he inspected the work being done at the site. The Minister was accompanied by Deputy Director of Projects, Intakab Indarjeet. The foundation for the bridge has begun with concrete piles having been driven. The bridge will be made of steel and concrete and will create a link between the Great Diamond-Herstelling Road and the Mocha Arcadia Main Access Road when it is completed. The bridge “will in turn provide an alternative access route to Providence and Eccles, significantly enhancing commute for hundreds of residents in the area,” the release said.
In March, this newspaper reported that the $500 Million alternate road would require a new bridge to be constructed over the Mocha canal. As a result, the ministry had to compensate two house lot holders as the land they once occupied now forms a part of the road network. One of the lot owners had told this newspaper that he was contacted and asked to relocate after President Irfaan Ali visited the site. The man, Ravi Budhoo, told this newspaper that he was given another lot and was compensated for the house that was almost completed.
The alternative road route is being constructed to ease the traffic congestion on the East Bank during peak hours. The project is expected to be completed by November. Minister within the ministry, Susan Rodrigues previously told this newspaper 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.
During the Minister’s trip on Friday, he also visited a new housing development in Little Diamond, where land clearing is ongoing. The release also said that Croal and the Chairman of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Lionel Wordsworth engaged with residents in the Mocha-Arcadia area. According to the Ministry, the residents raised concerns relating to the drainage systems and their farmlands. The officials responded by assuring them that adequate drainage infrastructure will be implemented.
