Works on Amaila Falls Access Road at a standstill

Jul 03, 2014 News

By Gary Eleazar
Plagued by problems from its inception, the Amaila Falls access road has yet again run into another snag with works now virtually suspended as a result of incessant rains.

A completed section of the Amaila Falls Access Roads

Of recent, contractors have been managing to get work done only on the few dry days that they would get.
Observers have noted that in future when Government and contractors ink contracts for roads in the interior, they must take into account the documented patterns of rain given that they are expected to undertake works in a “rainforest.”
Work has been completely suspended at some sections while at others, workers utilize the dry days that are few and far between to complete the road that is desperately behind schedule.
As it relates to the troubled ‘section seven’ of the road, all of the laterite has been put in place but the Chinese contractors are yet to level and compact it.
Head of State, Donald Ramotar, was asked on Saturday why liquidated damages are not being activated against contractors for failing to meet deadlines. In the case of the Amaila road there have been numerous deadlines and extensions largely because of poor planning for the rains.
According to Ramotar, he has given clear instructions that should contractors not be able to fulfill their obligations under the contract then Ministers must apply the penalty clauses.
Benn, during his presentation to the 2014 Budget Debates had announced that the road would be completed at the end of April. This did not occur.
The delay in the completion of the road is also compounded by the fact that the final cost of the construction of the Amaila Falls Access Road is still to be had.
Government is yet to finalise and allocate contracts for two key crossings, the Kuribrong and Butakari.
Kaieteur News understands that bids are expected to be opened for the Butakari crossing in the coming week.
It is expected that the Butakari crossing would be via pontoon while the design for a bridge across the Kuribrong River has been completed.
The road project is being undertaken in a number of segments, with the Ministry of Public Works assuming responsibility for ‘Section Two.’
That section runs along the Mabura Road to the Essequibo River and has a contract price of $336,094,861.
Section Three was allocated to Toolsie Persaud Quarries Inc. for $373.3M. That section of the Amaila Falls road stretches from Butukari to the Kaburi Village bypass.
The same company has also been awarded a contract for Section Four of the road for $246M.
Section Four runs between from the Kaburi/Omai junction to the Issano bypass.
Ivor Allen was awarded the $182.3M contract for Section Five of the road that runs from the Issano junction to Craig Road.
Section Six of the road was awarded to G. Bovell Construction Services for $281.7M, but that contract had to be terminated.
It was subsequently granted in two lots, with the first from Issano Junction to Sorrow Hill being allocated to Ivor Allen for $145M.
The second lot of Section Six was awarded to Dwarka Nauth for $45M.
Hassan N Pasha General Building and Civil Contractor was handed the last and reportedly the most difficult section of the road, ‘Section Seven’ with a contract price of $838M.
That contract was terminated in April 2012 after only 15 per cent of the work was completed.
Pasha received almost $315M.
The contract was subsequently handed to China Railway First Group (Guyana) Inc. for $1.7B (US$8.5M).