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Contracts for new Demerara River bridge, other projects to be signed in first quarter
Kaieteur News – Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill on Monday announced that the contracts for the $11.6B Ogle to Eccles four-lane road, the US$190M Linden to Mabura road and the construction of the new Demerara Harbour Bridge will be signed before the conclusion of the first quarter.
Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill.
Edghill who made the announcement during a news conference on Tuesday, noted that the road projects are still in the procurement stage, while a team is currently concluding the negotiations and administrative details to prepare the contract for the new bridge.
According to Edghill, the Ministry was able to achieve 85 percent of its work programme for 2021, while the remaining two road projects account for the 15 percent.
“Everything we set out to do in 2021, we are able to do it and we lost some time particularly on the foreign funded programmes as a result of engagement in a very iterative process with the financial institutions and the international agencies, in the case of the Linden to Mabura Hill road and the Indian Government for the Ogle to Eccles road,” he mentioned.
According to the Minister, the $34B Linden to Mabura road is at the procurement stage; presently engaging the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). “We hope to have that concluded within a matter of weeks,” he assured.
In December 2020, it was announced that the CDB, the Government of Guyana and the United Kingdom Government have partnered to fund this US$190 million project, for the upgrading of approximately 121km of road from Linden to Mabura Hill to an asphaltic concrete road that would improve the connectivity between Guyana’s hinterland and the coastal areas.
According to reports, the Bank is putting US$112 million through a loan towards this project, the government is putting US$12 million, and the UK Government is putting US$66 million.
This project will represent the first phase of the much-hyped Linden/Lethem roadway, which would improve travel time to Brazil and connections to thousands of hinterland people.
The unpaved 450km road from Linden to Lethem is often impassable in the rainy season, due to flooding along low-lying sections of the road. The upgrading of the road will provide year-round connectivity between Linden and Mabura Hill, improving conditions for many locals.
As for the Indian funded bypass road, Ogle to Eccles, Minister Edghill noted, “that is also at its final procurement stages in terms of its evaluation and preparation for an ward of contract.” In December, bids were open for this project, which saw three firms vying for the contract. The construction of the 26km four-lane road will also include drains, sidewalks and corridor, linking two main prominent areas in the country. Besides linking communities on the East Coast and the East Bank of Demerara, it will also play a key role in terms of diverting traffic.
The Ogle to Eccles road project is estimated to cost some US$48,676,922.
“I like to assure you that contracts for both of these projects will be signed before the conclusion of the first quarter of 2022, and works will begin to advance,” note the Minister.
As for the signing of the contract for the new $51.2B Demerara Harbour Bridge, it was assured by Edghill that that would take place soon.
At the conference, he shared that “A specially appointed team is concluding the negotiations and all the administrative details to prepare for the signing of the contract for the new Demerara Harbour Bridge. Between the week before Christmas and today, six such meetings were held and the sun is getting ready to shine brightly because we should have a final contract agreed on in the very shortest possible time.”
Kaieteur News understands that the construction of the new bridge is expected to conclude within two years. This four-lane, high-span fixed bridge, which is commonly referred to as a “flyover bridge” is set to be built with the lifespan of 50 years and will not require opening or retraction to allow for maritime.
Following a no objection by the Cabinet last year, China State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited was selected to construct the new bridge.
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