Despite minor setbacks, works are progressing on the alternate East Bank Demerara four-lane road being constructed under the Ministry of Housing and Water.
At present, the surface of the road south of Mocha Road to Farm, which was once occupied by squatters, is being cast. Other sections of the road have already been surfaced and are awaiting finishing works.
“As you can see, we are casting the carriageway. We are getting trucks rapid (cement mixing trucks) and we are working at a fast pace trying to finish the work as soon as possible,” a worker, who asked not to be named, explained.
He related that they are a bit behind schedule and blamed the issue with the squatters and unfavourable weather conditions for the delays. Nonetheless, he related that they are pushing to finish their section of the work and have been working some nights to meet their timeline. The worker explained that they have already cast the head wall for the bridge over the Mocha/Arcadia canal (the northern canal separating Providence and Mocha road) and are preparing the abutment on the bridge. Additionally, piles have been driven for the construction of a second bridge on the southern canal and construction will begin soon.
Meanwhile, GuyAmerica Construction is undertaking additional works to connect the new stretch of road to the Diamond Access road. These new four lanes will complement and interconnect with the four-lane highway at Eccles, on the East Bank then to Mandela Avenue, Georgetown. The project will see the construction of 9.4 kilometres of reinforced concrete roads, 12 heavy-duty bridges, a culvert, and 12 kilometers of drains. At the signing of the contracts in December 2021, it was disclosed that the works will be done by 12 contractors and are expected to last between 15-18 months.
Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal had said the construction of these new alternative roads will not only improve the lives of 20,000 residents from the East Bank Corridor, but also create new opportunities for commercial activities and access to the new housing schemes that are being opened up in the area.
Works are being executed by; GuyAmerica Construction Inc, V. Dalip Enterprise, (JV) Colin Talbot Contracting Services and Eron Lall Civil Engineering Works, S. Jagmohan Construc-tion and General Supplies Inc., H. Nauth and Sons, JS Guyana Inc., (JV) VALs Construction and AJM Enterprise, China Railway First Group Company Ltd., Aronco Services Inc., Ivor Allen, (JV) Puran Brothers Disposal Inc. and Khemraj Nauth Contracting Services.
