Major thoroughfares across the country will benefit from upgrades and expansion through the $76.7 billion allocated for roads and bridges in this year budget.
During his budget presentation, Minister of Finance Dr Ashni Singh told the house that from the allocated amount $49.2 billion will be spent on roads and $27.5 billion on bridges.
Singh said key allocations include $8.3 billion for the rehabilitation of the Corentyne Main Road from Palmyra to Crabwood Creek; $6 billion for the construction of the Linden-Mabura Hill Road; $3.4 billion for hinterland roads; $2.6 billion for the rehabilitation of the entire Soesdyke-Linden Highway; $2.3 billion for the East Bank-East Coast Demerara Road Linkage between Ogle and Eccles; $1.1 billion to complete the Sheriff Street – Mandela Road Network and Expansion Project.
The budgeted sum will also see some $15.2b being directed towards the construction and rehabilitation of additional urban and community roads.
“We recognise that one of the most severe irritants regarding the roads network right now is the congestion on the East Bank Demerara corridor. We have committed to resolving this,” the Minister said as he noted that a new four-lane highway linking Mandela Avenue to Haags Bosch is currently under construction and will be completed in the first quarter of this year.
He stated that works will also commence to widen and pave the East Bank Highway from Grove to Timehri for which $2.1 billion is allocated in 2022.
Preparatory work, he pointed out has also been initiated in relation to the widening of the East Coast Highway from Annandale to Mahaica, the upgrade of the railway embankment from Sheriff Street to Orange Nassau, and the construction of the new four-lane superhighway from Schoonord to Parika on the West Demerara.
President Irfaan Ali in November last year said that Region Three (Essequibo Islands- West Demerara) is set to witness unprecedented transformation with the construction of a four-lane highway from the new Demerara Harbour Bridge’s proposed location to Parika, East Bank Essequibo.
A release from the Office of the President said that Ali made the announcement during a site visit to the possible alignment of the road. His team made stops at several locations from Canal No.1 Polder, West Bank Demerara to De Kinderen, West Coast Demerara.
The site allocated for the new road would be graded within a month and a special team is expected to work on the plans for the project, which should be completed by the end of April 2021, the release said.
Singh said a major expansion of the roads and bridges network is already very visibly underway.
He directed the attention of the House to the sum of $27.5b that was spent on improving roads and bridges across the ten administrative regions. To this end, works were substantially completed on the four-lane highway from Eccles to Mandela Avenue, the Sheriff Street-Mandela Avenue Road Network, No. 52, and No. 58 roads, all of which are expected to be completed during the first half of this year.
“Under our Hinterland Roads Programme, the sum of $2.6 billion was expended in 2021. This programme saw among others, the completion of the rehabilitation of the main access road between Kumaka and Kwebanna Phase I, Mile 5 to Airstrip Bartica Phase IV and Princeville main access road and the commencement of works on the Timehri to Makouria, Parika to Bartica and the Tacama roads,” he said.
