East Bank four-lane expansion set to meet year-end completion

Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn recently announced that the East Bank Demerara four-lane highway is set to meet its year-end completion date, alleviating much of the current traffic delays and improving safety.The East Bank four-lane project is divided into three lots. The first is being done by Dipcon Engineering; lot two by General Earth Movers in association with Geico Construction and General Construction Services; and Lot three B.K International.

During a recent interview, Benn noted that despite the challenges, works are ongoing on the four-lane extension.
With regards to the issue of the removal of utilities, Benn explained that the schedule for the removal of utilities did not match that of works for certain reasons. He said that this issue was related to the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT) Company, and the Guyana Power and Light (GPL), and they are currently working on overcoming this problem.

Additionally, there were also some issues with respect to the shortage of certain construction materials. Benn further noted that works are also ongoing on the East Coast four-lane project and an update will be made public soon.

In 2013, Government invested $11.3B to continue the construction of the East Bank Demerara and East Coast Demerara four-lane highways, Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) access road, rural, community and hinterland roads, additional street lighting, and the rehabilitation of the Demerara Harbour Bridge.

The 2014, budget provided the sum of $13.7B to improve roads and bridges network, of which $12.9 billion will be spent on roads and $844.2 million on bridges.

With the completion of the East Bank and East Coast Demerara four-lane expansion projects, the traffic congestion, especially at peak hours will be reduced significantly, thus allowing for a smoother and faster traffic flow.
(GINA)