The ongoing road extension project on Carifesta Avenue will see the removal of the median, which was installed in 2016, to facilitate an expansion of 14 meters closer to the National Park.
A source close to the project stated, “This road is being extended 14 meters out, and where the school is, an extra meter and a half will be added throughout to accommodate parking and other needs for the school. It will be a four-lane road with two extra lanes, as well as a lane for cycling and parking.
When school close the contractor will start on the school side because the school is concerned about parking and all that, but works are ongoing around the clock, even at 5 in the morning. It is a one year project but it might be completed in coupe months”.
Once the median is removed, it will be reinstalled in the centre after the expansion is completed on the other side of the road. Two companies have been awarded the contract, with each responsible for one side of the expansion.
One of the contractors has been identified as Quality Deliverer.
In February 2023, the Ministry of Public Works announced via a release that it had embarked on public tendering for the Rehabilitation and Upgrade of Carifesta Avenue (Phase 1). A contract was subsequently signed in December 2023.
The scope of works under this phase includes the construction of concrete drains on the northern side of Carifesta Avenue and the widening of the existing single-lane northern carriageway to accommodate two lanes. The northern side was prioritized for Phase 1 due to the extensive civil works required on the southern side. These works will involve revetment and widening to incorporate an additional westbound lane along Carifesta Avenue.
The contract is a one-year one.
In 2016, the original contract for the construction of the current double-lane road with a central median featuring lights and CARICOM flags was also awarded in two lots. This was completed in time for the CARICOM celebrations held in Guyana in that year.
Efforts to contact the Ministry of Public Works yesterday for an official update proved futile.
