Roads and Bridges Budget hikes to $76.7B for 2022

Jan 29, 2022 News

---

…$2.6B set aside to rehabilitate deplorable Linden Highway

Kaieteur News – The Soesdyke Linden Highway will this year see a likely complete rehabilitation with a $2.6 billion allocation being announced to facilitate the much-needed repairs to the main artery into the interior.

This is included in the Ministry of Public Works $76.7 billion allocation to fund the rehabilitation and construction of critical road links and bridges across the country.
According to the Budget documents, part of its allocation will go towards rehabilitating the entire 45-miles of the Highway, stretching from Soesdyke to Linden.
The announcements were made on Wednesday last by Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, who while presenting the Budget, told the National Assembly that $49.2 billion will be directed to roads, while the remaining $27.5 billion will be spent on bridges.
Commuters have for years been complaining of the deplorable state of sections of the Soesdyke Linden Highway.
Only last year, the Ministry of Public Works expended $150 million to complete sectional repairs to the Highway, between the First Hill and Kilometre Nine and 10.
That was only a scratch to the surface, as sources confirmed that millions more would have been required to facilitate repairs to the entire road, constructed since the late 1960’s.
To this end, this year, according to the Budgetary allocations, the main highway will see several massive infrastructure development projects coming on stream, including the construction of the Linden-Mabura Hill Road to the tune of $6 billion.
According to Dr. Singh, with regard to roads, “key allocations include provisions of: $8.3 billion for the rehabilitation of the Corentyne Main Road from Palmyra to Crabwood Creek; $6 billion for the construction of the Linden-Mabura Hill Road; $3.4 billion for hinterland roads; $2.6 billion for the rehabilitation of the entire Soesdyke-Linden Highway; $2.3 billion for the East Bank-East Coast Demerara Road Linkage between Ogle and Eccles (and) $1.1 billion to complete the Sheriff Street – Mandela Road Network and Expansion Project”.
Another $15.2 billion is allocated for the construction and rehabilitation of additional urban and community roads.
The Minister explained that one of the most severe irritants regarding the road network is the congestion on the East Bank Demerara corridor, which will be addressed with the by-pass road, for which construction has already commenced.
In fact, he boasted that government has already operationalised a 3.7 km inter-community road link between Mocha Arcadia and Diamond, on the East Bank of Demerara.
Additionally, a new four-lane highway linking Mandela Avenue to Haags Bosch is currently under construction and is slated to be completed in the first quarter of 2022.
On the other hand, construction of the four-lane Ogle to Haags Bosch road will also commence shortly, thereby creating another road access, which will further reduce the current traffic congestion along the East Bank corridor, as was pointed out by Singh.
He told the National Assembly that his administration also intends to widen and pave the East Bank Highway, from Grove to Timehri, for which $2.1 billion is allocated in 2022.
Meanwhile, preparatory works have also commenced to widen the East Coast highway from Annandale to Mahaica.
Similarly, preparatory works have also been initiated to upgrade the railway embankment from Sheriff Street to Orange Nassau, and the construction of the new four-lane superhighway from Schoonord to Parika.
Bridges
In addition to the $21.1 billion that has been allocated to the New Demerara River Bridge and the $946 million allocation to rehabilitate the existing structure, several other bridges will be constructed and repaired this year with its remaining $27.5 billion Budget.
According to the Minister $4.1 billion is allocated for the re-construction of several bridges along the Kurupukari to Lethem corridor that will support the phased construction of the Linden to Lethem highway.
“Further, to address the critical needs of bridges across the country, another $173.9 million is budgeted for the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of bridges in areas including Garden of Eden, Chateau Margot, Beterverwagting, and Cemetery Road,” Dr. Singh pointed out.
He added, “…another extremely important intervention included in Budget 2022 is an allocation of $3.3 billion to finance improvement and enhancement of the aesthetics of the environment across major urban areas in our country, with a particular focus on the capital city.”
Last year, the Ministry of Public Works expended the sum of $27.5 billion on improving roads and bridges.
To this end, works were substantially completed on the four lane highway from Eccles to Mandela Avenue, Sheriff Street-Mandela Avenue Road Network, Number 52, and Number 58 roads, all of which are expected to be completed during the first half of this year.
Meanwhile, under the Hinterland Roads Programme, the sum of $2.6 billion was expended last year.
This programme saw among others, the completion of the rehabilitation of the main access road between Kumaka and Kwebanna Phase I, Mile 5 to Airstrip Bartica Phase IV and Princeville main access road and the commencement of works on the Timehri to Makouria, Parika to Bartica and the Tacama roads.

 

---

---