Pre-feasibility study for Linden/Lethem road started

Government started a pre-feasibility study for the Linden/Lethem roadway earlier this month in keeping with its efforts to develop the Guyana/Brazil road linkage by upgrading the Linden/Lethem route.

According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release government has obtained support from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for the study. It is being conducted by Mott McDonald Limited of the United Kingdom in association with local consultancy firm CEMCO Incorporated. Currently the consultants are conducting a condition survey to determine the state of the roadway. Earlier meetings were also hosted with the Region Nine Administration and other stakeholders in the Lethem community. Additionally, the consultants have met with the Brazilian Ambassador and residents of Annai, North Rupununi. Two local engineers from the Works Services Group and an economist are also involved in the study.

GINA said the Technical Cooperation (TC) between the government and the IDB is intended to support improvement of the transportation link between Guyana’s north and south regions; from Georgetown to Lethem. This will enhance regional integration and accessibility to facilitate trade and cultural exchanges. The first phase of the TC targets preparation of the study that will present a set of alternatives to be analyzed in Phase II (feasibility studies). Minister of Finance Dr Ashni Singh and IDB Country Representa-tive Sergio Varas-Olea signed the TC last August.

The Guyana/Brazil linkage is being strengthened with the completion of the Takutu River bridge. It is expected to increase national income and improve living standards since it will contribute to the expansion of markets, increase competitiveness of Guyana’s products and provide more jobs. It will also facilitate full integration with the countries in the Guiana Shield Hub since it crosses the proposed East-West transport network connecting Venezuela with Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.

According to GINA a feasibility study was conducted in 1989 with funding from the European Union and in 1994, the government commissioned an environmental impact assessment. A second feasibility study was done in 2000. President Bharrat Jagdeo on September 28, 2006 outlined the administration’s goal to accelerate development through integrated linkages that include the Guyana/Brazil highway over the next five years.