$11M asphaltic road provides access to Leonora govt facilities
─ easy access to Leonora Hospital, Leonora Post Office, Leonora Early Childhood Daycare Centre and the Leonora National Insurance Scheme (NIS)
─ construction begins on main access bridge
DPI, Guyana, Saturday, May 4, 2019
Eleven million dollars ($11M) has been expended to transform the main access road in Leonora, West Coast of Demerara to a fully asphalt concrete structure.
This main road provides access to several government services including the Leonora Comprehensive Diagnostic and Treatment Centre popularly known as the Leonora Cottage Hospital, the Leonora Post Office, Leonora Early Childhood and Daycare Centre and the Leonora National Insurance Scheme (NIS).
According to Regional Executive Officer, Jennifer Ferreira-Dougall, “this is a busy stretch of road and we had to inconvenience citizens for a short period of time so that we could have permanently fixed it. The road is the main access point to a number of government facilities and we could not have it in a deplorable state.”
Construction is also being carried out on the bridge opposite the Leonora Comprehensive Diagnostic and Treatment Centre. “Recently, we constructed a parking lot in this same area to cater for the heavy traffic and now the road. A short while from now the access bridge will be completed so we will have smooth traffic flowing with proper infrastructure in this area.”
Regional Engineer, Vaughn Solomon noted that the length of the road is 310 metres (1,017 feet) while the width is 4.7 metres (14 feet). With the construction of the parking lot, he noted, drivers will be prohibited from parking on the parapet of the road. He foresees that with favourable weather, the main access bridge should be completed in three weeks. The engineer explained that an RC heavy duty control structure with steel beam is being constructed to replace the old wooden timber bridge.
Residents are advised to use the bypass next to the Leonora Fire Station when seeking services from the government facilities in the area. The engineer assures road users that the temporary bypass will be regularly maintained so as to not disrupt the flow of traffic in the busy area.
Story and Images: Ganesh Mahipaul.