East Bank four lane highway…Non-compliance of contractors causes further delays

Feb 20, 2017 News

The failure of local contractors to fulfill the requirements of the National Tender & Procurement Administration (NPTA) has resulted in further delays of the East Bank Four Lane Project. While the construction of the road and bridges is essentially complete, another contract still has to be awarded for the installation of road furniture.
“Which is the safety measures – the crash barriers, the traffic lights, and things like that,” Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, told Kaieteur News during a recent interview.
He said that government had already opened tender for the supply and installation of these equipment, but was informed then, that none of the contractors were compliant. As a result, the tender was annulled.
“We were trying to see if any of them could have been, but now we have to re-tender it,” the Minister explained.
He is hoping that the contractors would soon become compliant, so that works can begin on finishing construction of the long overdue thoroughfare.

Public Infrastructure Ministry, David Patterson

“At the end of this new tendering process, we will procure the crash barriers, traffic lights, translucent signs and paint and stuff like that. As soon as we get these, we will begin to install them, and that will complete it (the East Bank Four-Lane Project),” Patterson said.
The East Bank Four-Lane Project was supposed to have been completed 18 months after construction began in 2011. There have been many delays and extension in deadlines. One of the most recent was when DIPCON Engineering Services was unable to complete the phase of the project awarded to the company. The Public Infrastructure Ministry had said that Phase One of the project, which spans Providence to Covent Garden, had not been meeting its deadlines. The company had said at that time, that it was stuck at a bridge-widening near Providence and Herstelling.
The Government was looking to institute the penalty clauses of the contract signed with the company, but instead, there was an amicable settlement between the construction firm and the Ministry of Public Infrastructure.
Chief Roads and Bridges Officer, Ron Rahaman, had said that the government had been looking at the possible installation of four lanes from Grove, all the way to Timehri, East Bank Demerara. However, Rahaman believes that the current project will ease traffic congestion to the extent where four lanes running to the vicinity of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, are not necessary.