West Dem road expansion for completion early next year

Aug 22, 2017 News

The US$46M West Coast Demerara Road Improvement Project is 75 percent complete, according to Senior Projects Engineer at the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Kester Hinds.
During a recent interview with the Department of Public Information, Hinds said that despite challenges and harsh weather, the project which commenced in March 2015, seeks to improve efficiency and safety of road transportation for the approximately 30.7 kilometers of the West Coast, Demerara Road from Vreed-en-Hoop to Hydronie, just about one mile east of Parika.
Hinds explained that the stretch of road closer to Parika is completed, and the team is in the process of ‘overlaying’.
An overlay is any operation that consists of laying either Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) or Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) over an existing pavement structure.
According to DPI, on a recent visit to the West Coast, it was evident that many roadways west of Vreed-en-Hoop have benefitted from bridge replacements and repairs, drainage and road safety works, pavement markings and safety barriers along severe curves.
Hinds assured that works are well underway, despite being delayed in March to facilitate the relocation of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph and Guyana Water Incorporated utility services. Rains have affected the project too.
A significant portion of the road has been completed, and final works are being carried out. These include final overlaying, construction of road shoulders and grading of pavements for cyclists and pedestrians.
The works are being carried out by Jamaican engineering company, Surrey Paving and Aggregate, and local construction company, BK International.
Works are also ongoing at Vreed-en-Hoop from the junction to the stelling. This, Hinds explained, is to ease congestion of eastbound traffic.
The project will see a junction at Vreed-en-Hoop which will allow for two eastbound lanes. These works are ‘substantially’ completed, Hinds noted.
The West Demerara road expansion is funded by the Government of Guyana, the Caribbean Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank.

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