With speed limits varying from 30 – 80 km/h, the Eccles to Mandela Avenue alternative road on the East Bank of Demerara will be equipped with smart speed-monitoring systems to ensure compliance with traffic regulations, according to President Irfaan Ali.
Ali made the announcement at the commissioning of the road link last night.
The road link which was the brainchild of President Ali during his time as Minister of Housing and Water but was shelved when the APNU+AFC coalition came into power, was constructed to the tune of $2.646 billion by almost one dozen contractors. It is the first phase of the project which is intended to link Great Diamond on the East Bank to Mandela Avenue in South Georgetown.
At last night’s commissioning ceremony, President Ali spoke of the numerous infrastructure projects his government has in store as part of its 2025 vision. He alluded to a number of road networks linking communities in Berbice to Timehri.
The four-lane highway was designed in accordance with international standards, i.e., AASHTO Guide for Design of Pavement Structures, FDOT Rigid Pavement Design Manual, and AASHTO – Geometric Design of Highways and Streets. The scope of works includes: land clearing and drain cleaning; construction of 5.5km of earthen drains and 200 meters of reinforced concrete drains; construction of reinforced concrete box culverts; 2.8km of four-lane rigid pavement carriageway (with two parking lanes); installation of solar street lights; and 12 reinforced heavy-duty composite bridges. Along the road currently under construction, are intersections, restricted to right turns, at Aubrey Barker Road, and Cane View Avenue, in South Ruimveldt Gardens. It will also feature 12 bridges, a median with lights as well as pedestrian and cycle lanes.
The entire project, Mandela Avenue to Great Diamond, is being constructed to the tune of $13.9 billion.
President Ali said that the full security feature of the road linkage is expected to come on board within the next three weeks. He said that the decision was taken following an examination of the speed of some vehicles explaining that the average truck was driving at 60km/h at the roundabout. That speed limit is now 30km/h.
“In three weeks the full security feature on this highway will be turned on. This feature will track vehicle speed, it will pop your speed up so you can see it, it will record your speed [and] it will then transmit your speed electronically to the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Revenue Authority,” he related.
He added that the technology will be able to identify the licence plate of the defaulter as well as photograph the driver and front-seat passenger despite weather and lighting conditions. The images will be transmitted to the relevant authorities who would then dispatch tickets to the homes of the defaulters to be paid to the Guyana Revenue Authority.
“The information will be exchanged on platforms and the adjustment of laws will come where necessary to activate the demerit system for drivers so that those who continuously abuse the road will lose their licence…all this will be done electronically and it will then be connected to the safe country solution and the safe city solution,” Ali stated.
He said that failure to pay the tickets would result in the defaulter being restricted from renewing their road use licence and vehicle registration documents.
The project was executed by Guy America Construction Inc, a joint venture with M&P Investments and Puran Bros, Colin Talbot Contracting Services and Eron Lall Civil Engineering Works (joint venture), Aronco Services Inc, Junior Sammy Guyana Incorporated, M Balgobin and Sons Contracting Services and Electrical Supplies, KSM Investments Limited and Brass Aluminum and Cast iron Foundry Limited.
Chief Executive Officer of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) Sherwyn Greaves said that the project commenced on April 15, 2021, and was completed on April 13, 2022. He noted that the highway will serve as an alternative route along the East Bank Corridor which will significantly reduce traffic, especially during peak hours.
He explained that the highway is a jointed concrete pavement on a white sand base while the roundabout is an asphalted concrete pavement and is designed for high volume traffic.
Providing the scope of works, Greaves said “this is an asphalt concrete roundabout with reinforced concrete sidewalks, two by eight kilometres of four-lane ridged pavement with parking lane, 80 metres of asphalt concrete approach ramps, 12 reinforced concrete composite bridges, three reinforced concrete culverts, 5.6 kilometres of earthen drain, 300 meters of concrete drains, 214 solar power lamps, road signs and marking, and installation of paving stones in the median.”
Emergence of new Guyana
Meanwhile, Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal said that the realization of the highway signals the emergence of a new Guyana. He acknowledged the challenges commuters face with the traffic congestion along the East Bank corridor admitting that the road networks have become inadequate.
“We understand with a rapidly developing oil and gas sector we need new road networks systems that can obviously cope with the increasing volume of commercial and industrial activities taking place within our country now and also for the new ones that we will attract. Critical roads such as this one will not only reduce the travel times and help to resolve the traffic grid that locks us daily on this corridor, it will also increase the value of properties along this East Bank corridor to be a source of prosperity to homeowners who live here. These direct impacts in the lives of Guyanese are at the centre of the projects that are being undertaken by our government,” Croal said.
He boasted that more than $6.8 billion has already been expended on development along the East Bank corridor adding that government is continually seeking to improve infrastructure and other services.
Our government has committed more than $27.5 billion for infrastructure works on the East Bank corridor. That will include Great Diamond, Golden Grove, Little Diamond and a new opening for commercial lands here on the East Bank. And this also includes a continuation of the construction of the four-lane highway from Eccles to Great Diamond which is already in progress,” Croal informed.
Phase two
In December last year, the ministry awarded contracts to the tune of $13.3 billion in 12 lots for the construction of an alternative four-lane highway between Eccles and Great Diamond which is deemed to be phase two of the project. The project will see the construction of 9.4 kilometres of reinforced concrete roads, 12 heavy-duty bridges, a culvert, and 12 kilometres of drains.
The contracts were awarded to Lot 1 – Guy America Construction Inc – $1.2 billion; Lot 2 – V. Dalip Enterprise – $889.9 million; Lot 3 – Colin Talbot Contracting Services and Eron Lall Civil Engineering Works (joint venture) – $1.3 billion; Lot 4 – KP Thomas and Sons contracting Inc – $1.4 billion; Lot 5 – S. Jagmohan Construction and General Supplies Inc – $1.2 billion; Lot 6 – H. Nauth and Sons – $1.1 billion; Lot 7 – JS Guyana Inc – $1.2 billion; Lot 8 – VALs Construction and AJM Enterprise (joint venture) – $1.1 billion; Lot 9 – China Railway First Group Company Ltd – $1.02 billion; Lot 10 – Aronco Services Inc – $753 million; Lot 11 – Ivor Allen – $825 million; and Lot 12 – Puran Brothers Disposal Inc and Khemraj Nauth Contracting Services (joint venture) – $964 million.
Works are expected to last between 15-and 18 months on the new phase of the road.
However, last night, Croal said that the work will be completed ahead of schedule.
“I am happy to announce that the other phase of the highway from Eccles to Great Diamond will be completed ahead of schedule and I know the President will hold me accountable for this statement. Now that the standard has been set, those 12 contractors will do well to even improve on the standard of the work here,” he said.
Both Croal and President Ali thanked the technical staff of the Central Planning and Housing Authority for executing the project with very few hiccups.
