Latest update April 9th, 2025 12:59 AM
$5B Great Diamond to Eccles interlink road commissioned
Kaieteur News – The President, Dr. Mohammed Irfaan Ali, yesterday commissioned the $5 billion Great Diamond to Eccles East Bank Demerara (EBD) interlink road. The road, which stretches from the fourth bridge along the Mocha Arcadia Access Road and ends at 6th Avenue, Great Diamond has been ongoing for quite some time.
His Excellency, Dr. Irfaan Ali, delivering his remarks at the commissioning of the road.
The project was first initiated back in 2013, by President Ali, who was the Minister of Housing and Water at the time. It was since discontinued under the previous administration, but was revamped when the PPP/C administration took office last year.
According to the Minister of Housing and Water, Colin Croal, the project serves to bring ease to commuters both in the area and further along the East Bank corridor. He stated that the commissioning of the road will be impactful, not only for the 18,000 residents, who reside in the Great Diamond/Eccles vicinity, but for others who are travelling from afar.
An aerial view of the Eccles/Great Diamond interlink road (MOH photo)
The road, he said, will also lessen the challenges faced by the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) with the lack of access roads and the effect this has had on housing developments. He also acknowledged that the interventions made by the government are to make the lives of citizens more comfortable.
The President made it clear that the road was not built for trucks and large vehicles, “This road is designed for a specific category of vehicle and that is small vehicle, SUV’s. Trucks you will see barriers, if you think it is your responsibility to break down the barriers because you want to break the law, there will be consequences.”
The government, he noted has a responsibility, not only to build but to take care of what they built. He then went on to say that, they are looking at the expansion of the Eccles road to the East Coast corridor.
Using an inter-agency approach, the Ministry of Housing and Water and the Guyana Police Force have partnered and designed a safe road usage plan. The Head-of-State noted that this is the first time such an approach has been used to develop the plan. To date, two police outposts along the route have been constructed, and a third to be erected soon. He further stated that in the upcoming phase, cameras will be connected to said outposts.
Minister of Housing, Colin Croal, delivering his remarks.
This publication previously reported back in January of this year that the sum of $500M (US2.3M) was spent by the government to construct the four-kilometer road which links Greater Diamond and Eccles on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD).
The road link is said to be the first phase of a road bypass project to link the East Coast with the East Bank of Demerara. The bypass road, according to government’s plans will stretch from Ogle, East Coast Demerara (ECD) to Diamond (EBD) and is funded by a US$50M loan from the Indian Exim Bank.
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