Minister of Finance Dr Ashni Singh and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) President Luis Alberto Moreno signed the agreement in Cancun, Mexico, where they are both participating in the 2010 Annual IDB Board of Governors meeting, a press release from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said.
Singh highlighted a number of other areas in which government has implemented developmental projects with IDB assistance and extended gratitude to the bank for supporting this latest initiative. He said too Guyana was honoured to host Moreno when he visited the country two years ago and saw firsthand “the tremendous progress being made in Guyana, and the strong positive developmental impact that IDB projects are having in the country.”
According to GINA, the new agreement will see the East and West Canje roads improved and rehabilitated with the replacement of 24 bridges and six culverts and the rehabilitation of three box culverts. This would boost accessibility to an important agricultural zone. In addition, construction of shoulders, sidewalks and other safety related works will be constructed in urban areas; improvements will be made to urban crossings and roadside amenities such as bus stops and parking areas will be built at key locations to enhance safety and socioeconomic benefits.
From Sheriff Street to Mandela Avenue in Georgetown and the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri access road would also be improved and rehabilitated, while selected localized interventions would be implemented along the carriageway between the Cricket Stadium and Diamond on the East Bank Demerara. The ultimate aim of this exercise is to further widen the road into a four-lane road.
GINA said the new agreement falls in line with one of the pillars of the IDB’s country strategy with Guyana namely the Strategic Infrastructure Investment pillar whereby the government and IDB continue to focus on improving the strategic infrastructure development agenda in support of economic diversification, and also add to the extensive road rehabilitation and maintenance programme undertaken by the government.
