Consultation begins today for US$115M EBD Road Project

Aug 24, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – According to the Ministry of Public Works, consultation will commence today on the US$115M East Bank Demerara Public Road (EBDPR) Project. Discussions will kick start at Golden Grove/Diamond Place NDC – Grove Primary School. The second round will be held tomorrow at Caledonia, Good Success NDC – Friendship Primary while the third will be on Friday at Soesdyke /Huist’ Coverden NDC – St. Mary’s Primary. All engagements will begin at 17:30hrs.

According to the project summary prepared by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Guyanese authorities will upgrade a 23.5 km stretch of the two-lane road from Grove, near the southern outskirts of Georgetown, to Timehri, near the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), running along the eastern bank of the Demerara River. This road segment traverses both open as well as residential community areas that are constrained for space on either side of the right-of-way due to physical barriers. The corridor, the IDB said, is essential for supporting economic activities as the East Bank Demerara Public Road is widely relied on for the transportation of goods from the coast, supporting value chains in sectors including manufacturing, food-processing, construction, mining, and forestry. The Grove to Timehri section specifically, provides essential access to the airport as it is the only road connecting the airport to the capital city, Georgetown.

This specific investment operation will be financed through an IDB loan of US$100M from the Bank’s Ordinary Capital (OC), and the remaining US$15,000,000 from the local counterpart. The proposed disbursement period for this programme is five years. The project will be executed by the Ministry of Public Works (MPW) through the Works Services Group (WSG) and Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI). The WSG is a multidisciplinary Project Executing Unit (PEU) within the MPW that has the mandate to execute government and donor-funded projects in the areas of transport and sea and river defences.

The bank was keen to note that efficiently working transport systems provide economic and social opportunities and benefits that result in positive multipliers effects such as better accessibility to markets, employment, social services, enhanced cost and time savings, lower the price for commodities, increased competitiveness, and additional investments.

The IDB highlighted that the East Bank Demerara Public Road is considered the major artery for goods coming to the coast and of supplies being transported to the interior. This includes timber from interior locations; and sand and loam from pits along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway. Due to its economic importance, the Government of Guyana, through the Ministry of Public Works – Work Service Group, with funding provided by the Inter-American Development Bank, believes upgrades to the EBDPR are critical.

The contractor for the project is expected to be selected in late 2022 and start final design in early 2023. Given the lack of a final design, WSG has started a preliminary assessment of the nature and magnitude of the displacement impacts on surrounding communities.

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