Road rehabilitation being done on needs basis, not bias- Minister Patterson

GINA, GUYANA, Monday, December 5, 2016

Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson is contending that many of the roads rehabilitated, especially those in Sophia, were done because they were in a deplorable state.

Further, it is the mandate of the Ministry to improve infrastructure, and this is being done on a needs basis, and not on bias.

A section of the rehabilitated ‘A’ Field, Sophia road

A section of the rehabilitated ‘A’ Field, Sophia road

“I have a strict policy of my Ministry when we rehabilitate roads. We assess the lengths of roads, users of the roads, the last time it was done and the condition, and then we prioritise it and get it done. So we have been doing that, and we’ve been pushing the contractors so that infrastructure across Guyana can be improved,” Minister Patterson indicated.

“Sophia in the urban centres had the worst roads for whatever reasons, we’ve upgraded most of them, but we’ve done other areas so I don’t want persons to think that it’s only Sophia, and put it into political context,” Minister Patterson explained.

The Minister, on the recent ‘Budget in Focus’ programme aired on the National Communications Network (NCN) said that a mobile asphalt plant was purchased for  works in Leguan which have been ongoing for almost three months. Works are currently wrapping up in the Region Three Island while works are currently ongoing in Mahdia, Region Eight.

“That is the reason why Region Eight’s allocation has (been) reduced because I’m doing all the roads in Mahdia right now, internal roads with concrete bridges. Also there is the Carifesta Avenue- we have worked on (it) and so we are doing a lot of road works in urban centres, not only in Georgetown, but New Amsterdam and Corriverton where we just finished a sidewalk that was requested by the Town Council of Corriverton,” Minister Patterson underlined.

Additionally, the Infrastructure Minister pointed out that works continue apace on the major West Coast Demerara road project.  Some of the works ongoing on the road include paving, temporary road markings, culvert cleaning, moving of utilities, and widening of the road to facilitate cycling lane, and pedestrian walkway.

Earlier in the year Project Coordinator, Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Kester Hinds told the Government Information Agency (GINA) that the US$46.8M Project was behind schedule due to lack of resources and removal of utilities, however; the road will be completed on time since the necessary resources had become available.

The Minister emphasised that his Ministry will strive to complete as many roads as possible that were earmarked for 2016.

The Minister noted that the Ministry has not completed all the roads it wanted to, but efforts have been put in place to expand the capacity of the Ministry.

The Ministry of Public Infrastructure has been constructing, rehabilitating, and maintaining miscellaneous and urban roads and bridges in Regions 1 to 6 and 10. In the 2016 budget miscellaneous and urban roads were allocated $1.6B and $1.4B respectively.

 

By: Ranetta La Fleur

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