$281M in contracts signed for road rehabilitation in Regions Six, Nine

Some $281 million dollars in contracts was signed Tuesday for the rehabilitation of roads in Regions Six and Nine.

Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, MP, and the Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, MP, facilitated the signing ceremony at the Ministry of Public Works, Fort Street, Kingston.

The three contracts were awarded to three contracting companies from the respective regions.

The first contract was awarded to J.R Ranch Inc. for the rehabilitation of the Lethem to Annai, North Rupununi road in Region Nine. The contract is valued $85,975,155 and should be completed over the next nine months.

The second contract valued at $165,766,650, caters for the rehabilitation of the Black Bush Polder one kilometre stretch, 6.7-meter-wide main access road at section two Johanna, Region Six.

The project was awarded to Kascon Engineering Services and has a duration of seven months.

Contract three was awarded to Sawa Investments Inc. for the rehabilitation of a road in section three, Mibicuri, Region Six. The $29,806,770 project is slated to be completed in three months.

Minister Indar said maintenance of the Annai to Lethem Road under the former Government, left much to be desired. 

“That was not a sustainable way of doing that particular stretch of road. So, in the new build of material for this particular contract for the Annai to Lethem, in the building material there’s 39,000-meter cube of laterite to be placed in building up back the sub-surface of this particular road”, Minister Indar said.  

Minister Bharrat said he was pleased to have the project at this juncture, since the Annai to Lethem Road remains an important thoroughfare. He said the road links Lethem and Georgetown and Lethem and Brazil.

“That is in keeping with our promise that we intend to link Guyana to Brazil so that it could boost economic activities not only along that corridor but between the two countries…I am particularly pleased too that we are at this point because this stretch or this section of the road has a great impact on the logging and mining sectors”, the minister said.

Contractors were urged to ensure the projects are completed within the stipulated time frame and employ persons from the region.