Sol gets $409M contract to supply bitumen

Sol Guyana Inc. has been granted a more than $409M contract by the Guyana Government to provide over a million litres of bitumen to the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation’s asphaltic plant at Garden of Eden.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon, at a post-cabinet press briefing yesterday, explained that this contract is expected to facilitate the production of asphalt for a number of projects undertaken by Ministry of Public Infrastructure.

The minister noted that it could be observed that works are already being done on several streets in Georgetown.

Workers from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure resurfacing part of Albert Street. (Public Infrastructure Ministry photo)
Workers from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure resurfacing part of Albert Street. (Public Infrastructure Ministry photo)
Before and after: The main access road to North Annandale has been resurfaced to ensure proper access to over 200 residential homes in the community, according to the Public Infrastructure Ministry. The Ministry said the double bituminous surface treatment road was rehabilitated by construction company K.B&B at a cost of $4.3M and it was completed a few weeks ago. (Public Infrastructure Ministry photo)
Before and after: The main access road to North Annandale has been resurfaced to ensure proper access to over 200 residential homes in the community, according to the Public Infrastructure Ministry. The Ministry said the double bituminous surface treatment road was rehabilitated by construction company K.B&B at a cost of $4.3M and it was completed a few weeks ago. (Public Infrastructure Ministry photo)

The 2015 budget allocates $13 billion for the construction and rehabilitation of roads and bridges across Guyana. $1.6 billion of this amount, according to the budget presentation by Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, will go toward the “upgrading of the Sheriff Street-Mandela Avenue Road, making it a modern thoroughfare.” This initiative, he had said, will create an efficient link between the East Coast Demerara (ECD) Highway to the East Bank Demerara (EBD) Highway.

He added that a nearly $400 million investment is intended for the upgrade of the Sophia Ring Road to link the Sheriff Street-Mandela Avenue and $544 million will go toward upgrading community roads and bridges throughout the country’s ten Administrative Regions. Some 150 households now benefit from the Ministry’s project

In the last few months, the ministry has completed rehabilitation works on several roads across the country.

The Ministry of Infrastructure Facebook page notes that a $4.3M contract was recently executed by the construction company K.B&B, which resurfaced the Annandale Middle Main Access with asphaltic concrete.

Also resurfaced was the East Jib roadway, West Coast of Demerara, which was previously “riddled with potholes,” the contractor, Guy America Construction, resurfaced 300 meters of the road to the tune of GU$9.1M.” he ministry said

Within Georgetown, several roads which have recently been resurfaced include Albert Street, South Road, and Shiv Chanderpaul Drive.