Contracts signed for $2.3B Eccles to Mandela four-lane highway

The Ministry of Housing and Water – Central Housing and Planning Authority on Thursday, signed contracts valued over $2.3 billion for the construction of the first concrete, four-lane highway from Eccles, East Bank Demerara to Mandela Avenue, Georgetown.

The road works will be divided into six lots and consist of a four-lane road with dual carriageway of two lanes each and jointed reinforced concrete pavement in accordance with international standards. The project will commence on April 14 and is expected to be completed by December 10, 2021.

Minister, Hon. Collin Croal, said the project is the realisation of an announcement made by President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali when he visited the proposed routes for the thoroughfare in January.

The contracts signed today, he said, would complement the 199 contracts signed with 78 contractors for infrastructure works in new and existing housing schemes, and for the construction of homes. Those contracts are valued some $14 billion.

“We are particularly pleased to be part of this activity today, the signing of these contracts because this is now a new area under our work programme and it shows growth and I want to commend the project department for how far they have moved in being able to implement the project,” the Minister said.

Minister Croal explained that a major part of developing new housing schemes is creating access.

“When we are complete with these six contracts, that is from Eccles to Mandela, complemented with the stretch from Great Diamond to Eccles, we are speaking about 18,800 beneficiaries that directly, or households that are within the remit of our housing schemes along that stretch of the East Bank.

When you multiply that per household and take into consideration that the additional persons from other parts of the East Bank, persons who may come across the bridge from the West Coast and West Bank that don’t use this connecting road as an ingress and egress, then the relief that will be brought to bear and persons along that side of Georgetown will be significant, reducing travel time and allowing us to open new connecting areas.”

Additionally, Minister within the Ministry, Hon. Susan Rodrigues said the housing sector is advancing rapidly to ensure the PPP/C Government’s manifesto promise is fulfilled. The project, she noted, will not only change the physical infrastructure of the country, but transform the lives of thousands of Guyanese.

“Since we took office and even prior to that, our Government has been relentless in ensuring that that agenda is pushed and that development comes to the lives of every single Guyanese and that our country’s landscape and the lives of Guyanese, are transformed over the next five years,” she said.

Meanwhile, CH&PA’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Sherwyn Greaves said the agency is pleased to be associated with the designing and implementation of this milestone project. He said the contractors were drawn from Guyana, Brazil and Trinidad, which reflects the partnership the country has with its regional counterparts.

The contracts were signed between the Ministry and Guyamerica Construction Incorporated ($555 million), MTSUL Construcoes Limited, M and P Investment Incorporated and Cobra Eireli ($364.4 million), Puran Bros. Disposal Incorporated ($360.2 million), Collin Talbot Contracting Services and Eron Lall Civil Engineering Works ($256.7 million), Aronco Services Incorporated ($471 million) and JS Guyana Incorporated ($352.4 million).

The scope of works includes land clearing and drain cleaning; construction of 5.4 kilometres of earthen drains and 200 meters of reinforced concrete drains; construction of culverts; 2.8 kilometres of four-lane rigid pavement carriageway with two no parking lanes; installation of street lights and 12 heavy-duty composite bridges.