Kitty’s roundabout takes shape

Mar 20, 2018 News

It is but one of the several projects in place to ease the growing congestion problem, but authorities are banking on it heavily to reduce the headaches for commuters coming to the city from the East Coast of Demerara.

Works ongoing at the roundabout area.

The Kitty roundabout project is expected to significantly reduce waiting time for traffic at the Vlissengen Road head at the Kitty seawall area. That junction with its traffic lights has long been seen as a bottleneck area with traffic buildup at peak periods in the morning and evening.
The introduction of the roundabout was floated after a huge sinkhole appeared at the junction in late 2016,

Engineer for the contractor, Johnny Raghubir

forcing emergency works.
Workers found a collapsed drainage pipe and after repairs, work was started in earnest on developing the roundabout.
A contract, to the tune of $78.9M was awarded, at the beginning of the year, to S. Jagmohan Hardware Supplies and Construction Services.
According to the company’s engineer, Johnny Raghubir, work on the roundabout is well under way and on schedule.
While the idea is new to Guyana, roundabouts are normal in a number of Caribbean countries and the more developed ones.
It will see traffic using two lanes to go around the roundabout merging into three bypasses that will be constructed.
Ragbubir said that works were started on February 26 and it appears will be completed well within the six months.
At the centre of the roundabout will be a closed circle. The Ministry of Public Infrastructure will determine how they will beautify it.
Yesterday, according to senior MPI’s engineer, Sherod Parkinson, who is overseeing the project, there are also plans to place cameras in the area for security purpose.
More than one week ago, it was reported that the roundabout section was 15 percent completed and that works were being executed in three major sections.
It will include filter lanes from Vlissengen Road to Carifesta Avenue; filter lanes from Carifesta Avenue to the seawall and filter lanes from Kitty Public Road to Vlissengen Road.
It is the plan to construct all of the exterior lanes, then the centre of the intersection with minimum disruption to traffic.
During the last phase of the project, construction will commence on the centre of the intersection, during this period, traffic will be diverted into the lanes that would have been completed.
Parkinson stressed that the aim is to have the flow of vehicles run simultaneously with the works so that drivers will not be greatly discomforted.
There are a number of other projects that Government has been targeting as part of holistic plan to improve traffic flow.
Across the West Demerara area, a major project is set to be completed this year on the West Coast roadway that included widening, drainage and markings while on the East Coast, there is extension of the four-lane highway by done by a Chinese firm.
On the East Berbice area, there is resurfacing of the East Bank Berbice road.
To help reduce congestion on the East Bank/West Bank Demerara areas, Government is pursuing the construction of a new river crossing with overhead passes and new roads.
To complement this, a new road linking East Bank Demerara to Ogle is also underway.
Guyana is registering around 10,000 vehicles annually with congestion being a major headache.

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