Residents and commuters in Diamond, East Bank Demerara, can now breathe a sigh of relief following major infrastructural upgrades to the road networks in the housing scheme.
The enhancement of 75 key thoroughfares spanning 25 kilometres fulfils a commitment made by President Irfaan Ali after the community had endured subpar roads for decades, a Department of Public Information (DPI) report stated recently.
On Saturday, it said, Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill inspected the newly completed roads, noting that the project was executed by the ministry’s Special Project Unit (SPU) at a cost of $690 million. During his visit, he engaged with residents who expressed gratitude for the essential upgrades.
Alvin Ramrattan, a taxi driver, shared his experiences navigating the previously dilapidated roads. He noted that the poor condition of the infrastructure had led to increased fares and difficulties in transporting passengers. “Now it’s doing well, and people are coming into the street, so it’s good,” the release quoted him as saying
Another resident, Imran Khan, related that it is now easier to travel in and out of the scheme, while Phillip Readie shared his appreciation for the upgrade, noting that it had been a long time since any road improvements had been made in the area. “All the time with the potholes, it felt like you were going up and down like in the Savannahs. So, I appreciate it very, very much,” he was quoted as saying.
Acknowledging the positive sentiments of residents, Edghill reiterated the government’s commitment to further enhancing road networks across the country.
“It is one thing for me to listen to the satisfaction of the residents. People have been living here for years without proper roads, and now they are extremely happy that this was done. We will continue to advance and transform communities,” the release quoted him as saying.
According to DPI, upgrades were executed from 7th Avenue to 21st Avenue, as well as roads in Avenue ‘A’ and ‘B’ at the front of the scheme. Work began on February 14 and was completed on September 18. This initiative follows road upgrades recently completed in the Grove community where a total of 29 roads were upgraded over a distance of 5 kilometres to the tune of $150 million by the Special Project Unit.
