Roadworks planned for Buxton-Friendship

Residents from Buxton-Friendship on the East Coast of Demerara will soon benefit from roadworks in several areas, bringing an end to years of traversing on deteriorated roads. 

Residents have had to use alternate routes due to the condition of the roads, particularly during the rainy season. 

In response to these issues, Minister of Public Works Bishop Juan Edghill led a technical team to assess the conditions of roads in the communities on Tuesday. 

The minister immediately announced that road works would be undertaken at Friendship Road to Panda, bringing major relief to residents. 

For the first time, those who reside along Company Dam in Buxton will benefit from a walkway that will improve accessibility after years of making do with a mud dam. 

Middle Walk Road will also undergo rehabilitation work to provide a smoother travel experience for residents. 

“These roads will be done,” Minister Edghill said, assuring residents that the government has been constructing and upgrading roads countrywide to improve the livelihoods, accessibility and economic growth of all Guyanese. 

During a community engagement at Buxton Post Office, Minister Edghill noted that one of the components of the road projects is to employ community-based contractors and residents to execute the works. This, he said, will empower them. 

While responding to a resident who requested contracts to be given to members of the community, Minister Edghill assured him that “priority [for the road projects] will be given to the people at the back [Friendship Road].”

Minister Edghill is expected to return to Buxton on Thursday to engage the residents on the planned road and drainage works for the area. 

“I will come back with our drainage engineers because we have already scoped what needs to be done in Buxton. We will discuss that on Thursday afternoon in an open manner with everyone. The people who would actually get the job must have a commitment to hire others from the village, which will empower the residents,” he said to the residents.  

Minister Edghill announced plans to construct a tarmac to accommodate vendors along the Railway Embankment at Buxton, where the US$192 million East Coast Road construction project from Sheriff Street to Orange Nassau is being constructed.

The public works minister underlined that the PPP/C Administration’s overarching goal is not to disrupt their subsistence but to give people the resources they need to live prosperous lives.