$22M road and bridge for Zeelugt New Housing Scheme

DPI, Guyana, Sunday, November 11, 2018

Zeelugt New Housing Scheme, a rapidly developing community which has seen an increase in occupancy is benefitting from the construction of a second egress and an ingress at a cost of $22M by the Government, through the Regional Administration of Essequibo Islands-West Demerara (Region Three).

The construction includes a heavy-duty bridge with reinforced concrete abutments, steel beams and decking, timber revetment and asphaltic concrete approaches which cost $14M. The remaining $8M covered a road which involved heavy land clearing, landfilling to shoulders, white sand and white sand/sand-clay sub bases, crusher run and an asphaltic concrete surface. Also included in the work is a heavy duty polyethylene culvert and reinforced concrete (RC) headwall.

Speaking to the Department of Public Information (DPI), Shonrick Zepher, a driver living in Phase 1 Zeelugt, New Scheme said, “This is tremendous progress for the people of Zeelugt. Anyone that complains about this infrastructural improvement is a pessimist to development. I have lived in this scheme for just over six years and never thought this would happen and here now I can drive on asphalt road and cross a big trench easily and reach my home comfortably.”

Randolph Lee Bhanpersaud, another resident from Phase 2 said that it is easier now to get in and out of the community since the new development.

“No longer do we have to have congestion at the one main entrance and exit. We have two now and that is development indeed in our community. This bridge and road not only benefit us directly by making egress and ingress easier but it also creates an environment for greater economic development in our community simply because there will be an increase of traffic flow at this end of the scheme, allowing people the opportunity to open more businesses and the likes. I must thank the region for this visionary thinking,” Banpersaud said.

Regional Executive Officer Denis Jaikaran noted the project was necessary and came at the request of the residents following a community outreach with Minister of State Joseph Harmon and residents of the community. Jaikaran further stated that secondary roads in the area will soon see much-needed improvements.

Story and Images: Ganesh Mahipaul

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