Govt. steams ahead with Sheriff St./Mandela Ave project despite mixed signals

Oct 13, 2017 News

It appears that despite what is being reported, Government is moving ahead with the Sheriff Street/Mandela Avenue Roadway Enhancement Project.
In a full-page advertisement in Kaieteur News on Wednesday, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) invited bids for the project.

Finance Minister, Winston Jordan

“The Government of Guyana has applied for a loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) towards the cost of the Sheriff Street-Mandela Avenue Roadway Enhancement Project.
The Government of Guyana intends to apply part of the proceeds of this loan to payments under the contract for enhancement to the Sheriff Street/Mandela Avenue Roadway (approximately 7km),” the advertisement said.
The project, announced under the previous government, came in for question after the administration earlier this year disclosed that it had applied to the IDB to have the monies applied to housing.
More than US$60M was sitting idly for a number of years since IDB’s approval, in 2012, without the project moving off the ground, they said.
The link is a critical one between the East Bank Demerara, Central Georgetown, the East Coast Demerara and Berbice.
Despite a host of top business places along the Sheriff Street strip, the road had over time become a little too narrow for the volume of traffic. Several bridges, including the one near the National Cultural Centre are in a bad state and deteriorating rapidly.
Recently, Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, in lamenting the delay in using that IDB money despite interest being paid, disclosed that there are more critical projects to pursue. He was critical of the delays in using the loaned funds as was intended.
IDB is being asked to put almost US$30M to fund new housing projects.
With regards to the condition of the Sheriff Street/Mandela Avenue, Minister Jordan said that works will be done, albeit to a number of key areas, including bridges.
However, the details of the advertisement yesterday, would contrast sharply with his statement.
The advertisement explained that the scope of works for the project includes asphaltic pavement, road safety, upgraded traffic intersection signals at each of the major road junctions, and traffic and drainage improvement works.
“There will also be structural works to bridges, culverts and other supporting infrastructure. Pavement works will include the construction of a two-lane roadway with a median portioning the two lanes along Sheriff Street.”

Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson

With regards to the Mandela Avenue area, the project will involve the expansion of the roadway from a two-lane to a four-lane with a median in the centre.
“The total distance of roadway to be rehabilitated/constructed is seven kilometers and would involve road widening, reconstruction of failed sections and asphalt overlay.”
The project which is proposed to be done in six lots is for a duration of two years.
Contractors have until Tuesday to submit bids. It will be opened on that day also. The project is opened to overseas firms as well.
IDB had advertised the project on August 24 with a deadline given as October 10, 2017.
The project will be seen as a key one to ease congestion.
There is another major project to ease traffic on the East Bank Demerara roads.
This will include the building of a road behind Diamond, leading to Ogle, East Coast Demerara.
The idea is to ease traffic congestion from the problematic East Bank highway.
Another major project in the works is the construction of a new bridge across the Demerara River, between Houston and Versailles.
To do away with the bottlenecks at the bridge entrance area, it is being proposed that flyover bridges be built over the East Bank roadway, leading to that Ogle link.
Traffic heading from West Bank to the Timehri airport will have to use that link leading to the Diamond area.