41 contracts awarded for road projects in Wakenaam

The island of Wakenaam in the Essequibo River is set to benefit from $792 million for the construction of several rigid concrete roads.

The roads were identified in 2022 during a collaborative effort by the Public Works, Housing and Water, and  Local Government and Regional Development ministries, to assess which community roads required immediate intervention.

The identified roads included perimeter roads, as well as community roads.

Similar to other government projects, the construction will see Wakenaam contractors sourcing labour from within the island, to expand economic opportunities for residents of the island.

Minister within the Public Works Ministry, Deodat Indar, during an engagement with Wakenaam leaders and contractors on Friday, highlighted the need for immediate mobilisation, as the state of some roads has rendered them difficult or impossible to use.

” I am telling you now, don’t go digging up people’s place if you know you’re not going to put in your lining, put in your steel, and your concrete. Don’t have people sitting a month, or two months, waiting on you to come back and fix things,” he cautioned contractors.

During the discussion, Minister Indar also encouraged the contractors to determine how they will source raw materials to build the roads, citing nationwide shortages of supplies, and attributing it to the massive number of construction projects being undertaken across the country.

Following the meeting, Minister Indar conducted a site visit to the lone road at Ridge, Wakenaam, which has been in a rapidly deteriorating state.

As such, he requested that immediate remedial works begin to improve the deplorable section of the road to reduce the hassle for residents.

The minister further encouraged the contractors to submit samples of the reef sand from the island for testing to determine its suitability to be used on road projects.

The 41 awarded contracts are part of the network of some 1,100 roads identified as priorities for construction in 2022.