Resources now available to complete WCD road on schedule-utilities’ relocation time consuming-Project Coordinator

Georgetown, GINA, July 18, 2016

The US$46.8M West Coast Demerara Road Improvement Project, though behind schedule, will be completed on time, now that the necessary resources are available, Project Coordinator, Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Kester Hinds told the Government Information Agency (GINA).

Hinds said that resources including machine to pave the road, rollers and a paving crew will soon be utilised to complete the project as per schedule.

The project began in January 2015, however, it is behind schedule due to the lack of the above mentioned resources and the relocation of utilities and poles housing the e-governance cables, Hinds explained.

“Resources were recently added, they have not been active as yet, but soon will (be). Also the relocation of the utilities may take some time (since) we are in the process of relocating some as we speak, but once those are completed, the project progress can be accelerated,” Hinds asserted.

The West Coast Demerara road project in Region Three is the latest in a wider programme of road network rehabilitation funded by the Government, the Caribbean Development Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank among others.

This project will benefit 100,000 people and will increase efficiency and safety of road transport along the West Coast Road, and complement other activities in the road transport sector.

The project caters for improvement of about 30.7kilometres of the West Coast Demerara road from Vreed-en-hoop to Hydronie, bridge replacement and repair, drainage and road safety works, pavement markings and safety barriers along severe curves.

A capacity development component targets Ministry of Public Infrastructure’s staff training in the application of Highway Development, Management and Monitoring and Evaluation of the road.

Additionally, there is a School Road Safety Education Programme, another component from which teachers, police and 1,625 students have benefitted. The students were drawn from over 30 schools in the Vreed-en-Hoop to Hydronie area.