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EBD four-lane expansion … Contractor seeks new deadline
Stalled road works at Diamond
Expansion of the East Bank Demerara Public Road from Providence to Diamond will not be completed this year. Instead, the multi-million-dollar project may conclude in the first quarter of 2014, says an Engineer of the Public Works Ministry.
The road is being widened to accommodate four lanes.
Physical works on the project began in January 2012 and had a duration of 18 months. In October 2012, the Ministry had said that the project is “way behind schedule” citing poor weather and utilities.
It was expected to be behind schedule by four months. However, now it will take another 10 months for the thoroughfare to be transformed.
The delay is primarily because of utilities that are in the path of the construction sites. According to the engineer, removal and replacing of Guyana Water Incorporated’s pipelines and conduits are almost completed. In addition, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company’s cables were also relocated.
However, the Ministry is hoping that cables belonging to the Guyana Power and Light Company will be relocated this month-end.
The contracts totaling US$17,249,965 were signed on October 3, 2011 by the contractors, Dipcon Engineering Services, BK International, and Gaico Construction in association with General Earth Movers of Trinidad and Tobago.
Dipcon was awarded the Lot One phase of the project and is expected to construct the road from Providence to Prospect to a tune of US$8,003,265. Lot Two, which begins from Prospect to Diamond ‘high-bridge’, was awarded to Gaico Construction to the tune of US$5,802,640.
Meanwhile, BK International will be carrying out construction works under Lot Three, at a cost of US$3,444,060.
These works will see the expansion from the ‘high-bridge’ at Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) to Diamond/ Grove Housing Schemes entrance.
According to the engineer, Lot One is only 30 percent completed. The contractor is now sand filling and installing wick drains and geo-textile fabric. This Lot involves converting trenches to form two-lanes to make the four-lane carriage way.
Some engineers were critical of that and emphasized if lands were not transformed into housing areas the two lanes could have been built east of the trenches. Like what is being done in Lot Two, where cane fields are being converted into roadway.
Gaico Construction commenced their construction works on Lot Two in October 2011 and though, has the most progressive of the three Lots there is still much to be done. The engineer related that this Lot is 45 percent completed.
The contractor has been converting the roadway in the cane fields. A section of that roadway sub-base has been completed while the contractor is working on the sub-base in another section.
Meanwhile, construction works in Lot Three have been stalled for several months because of the presence of utilities. Utility companies are currently relocating their materials. The engineer said that the contractor has to start remobilizing materials to recommence construction works.
According to the engineer, once the utilities are relocated there will be no major challenge obstructing works. However, it is anticipated that there may be traffic congestion when construction works begin in this Lot particularly at the ‘high bridge’ at DDL.
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