IDB loans Guyana US$100M to repair East Bank public road

Aug 03, 2023 News

…two Chinese companies only bidders

Kaieteur News – Two Chinese-owned companies are the only bidders vying to undertake the repair works on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) corridor from Good Success to Timehri, a project being funded through a loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and Guyana to the tune of US$117 million.

At the opening of tenders on Wednesday at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) office, it was revealed that the companies bidding for the design and build contract are China Road and Bridge Corporation, and China Railway Construction (Caribbean) Co. Limited in joint venture with China Railway Construction Bridge Engineering Bureau Group Co. Limited.

These two firms were previously prequalified with Brazilian firm – Alya Constructora S.A for the Ministry of Public Works project. On Wednesday, only the technical and financial proposal submissions from the two Chinese firms were read at the NPTAB office.

Kaieteur News had reported that East Bank road is being rehabilitated under the IDB’s Programme to Support Climate Resilient Road Infrastructure Development. Through this programme, the IDB would finance US$100 million towards the project while the Government of Guyana would finance the remaining US$17 million. The loan was signed on March 6, last and it is for five years.

Some sections of the East Bank of Demerara public road

Speaking of the loan at a previous event, the ministry’s Project Manager Mark Greene had stated that it is to advance Guyana’s safe and efficient roadway using climate- resilient infrastructure, but specially to improve road surface quality, as well as the utility service provided along that corridor. The project will see the rehabilitation of 23.5 kilometres of the highway, with a boundary from Good Success to Timehri, East Bank Demerara.

The rehabilitation of the road includes widening to cater to pedestrians and cyclists, landscaping and curb improvements, rehabilitation of drainage, and retrofitting of bridges and culverts, among other upgrades. Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill when speaking of the project had mentioned that it is very important and that it is no walk in the park project given the number of vehicles that traverse that corridor on a daily. “The residents of the East Bank corridor where this road serve…I’m sure as important stakeholders, they will be satisfied. But I also have to caution that building this road that is so heavily trafficked right now is no walk in the park, it’s the biggest challenge to the project team, to the engineer and whoever would be that successful contractor,” he had stated back in May.

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Alya Constructora S.A, China Railway Construction Bridge Engineering Bureau Group Co. Limited, IDB, Ministry of Public Works, National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB)

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