Contracts worth a total of $1.4 billion were signed yesterday for critical road construction and rehabilitation works in regions Four, Six and Seven, including the Moleson Creek to El Dorado, Corentyne road that will be vital for the construction of the Corentyne River Bridge.
Eight contracts were signed and Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill cautioned contractors to complete all projects in a timely manner. At the signing ceremony, held in the Ministry’s boardroom at Kingston, Georgetown, he also told contractors that they will be held accountable if quality works are not produced.
A $117.4 million contract was signed with Avinash Contracting and Scrap Metal for the construction and maintenance of the Cane Grove, Mahaica Phase 3 road, in Region Four; a $640.7 million contract was signed with Guyamerica Construction Inc for the construction of the No. 58 Village Road, Corentyne Berbice, in Region Six; a $239.7 million contract was signed with Associat-ed Construction Services for construction of the No. 52 Village, Corentyne Berbice road, in Region Six; a $34.8 million contract was signed with Shaffeeullah Sawmill for maintenance of the Mara Access Road, East Bank Berbice (EBB) Lot A; a $27.9 million contract was signed with Kascon Engineering Ser-vices for Maintenance Mara Access Road EBB, Lot B; and a $151.2 million contract was signed with Shaffeeullah Sawmill for construction of the Moleson Creek to El Dorado Road, in Region Six.
Also among the roads to be rehabilitated are the Ita-balli to Puruni Road (Phase 2-Itaballi to Takutu), in Region Seven, and the Bartica-Potaro Road (Miles 6 to 19), Region Seven. The contracts, valued $176.6 million and $77.3 million, were awarded to RIM Construction Inc. and Adamantium Holdings, respectively.
Touching on the scope of work for the Moleson Creek to El Dorado road, the minister said it has long been in need of upgrades. He said even tractors get stuck in the road, which is currently used by residents and farmers of Moleson Creek.
Noting that the road will eventually be upgraded to an asphalted concrete road, Edghill said that in the first phase, the 2,500 meters of the road will be upgraded to a laterite paved road. He explained that this will ease the transportation woes farmers face and facilitate the movement of materials when the construction of the Corentyne River Bridge comes on stream.
With regard to the all-weather road for Corentyne farmers, Edghill said the decision was taken to construct the road at No.58 Village. The portion of road will be constructed all the way to the Canje Creek, opening up new lands for agricultural purposes. The minister also disclosed that another contract will be awarded soon for the construction of bridges along the thoroughfare. A contract for the construction of the No.52 road was also awarded.
Edghill yesterday said that the rehabilitation and construction of these roads were arrived at after consultation with farmers, residents and stakeholders. He pointed out that he would like to see works accelerated, particularly for the rehabilitation of roads in Mara, which was procured under emergency circumstances.
He said that the people of Mara have complained bitterly of the time and difficulty they face to transport their produce from farm to market. With the cost to completely rehabilitate the road touted to be a hefty sum, he said that they were able to secure $60 million to conduct emergency works on the road to bring some relief to residents.
Additionally, he stressed that with the entire cost pegged at over $600 million, government took a decision to construct the road in phases. He said currently works are being carried out by Colin Talbot and the new contract will be to continue from where works were left off.
Edghill also emphasised that works on the roads in Region Seven are critical as they have been linking communities and Bartica to the gold mining districts. In the last year, he said, through a collaboration with the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission a section of the road was upgraded.
Edghill also instructed Permanent Secretary Vladim Persaud to ensure Neighbourhood Democratic Councils are furnished with unpriced copies of the bill of quantities and made public to residents. This, the minister said, will allow those benefiting to have an idea the quality of work they are getting and to hold the contractor accountable.
