The feasibility study for the Linden-Lethem road could go to Cabinet within a month’s time and construction firms are already indicating an interest in building the road, Minister of Transport and Hydraulics Robeson Benn says.
While the minister would not speak about the recommendations of the study which was done by the Canadian firm, SNC-Lavalin, he said that ministry engineers are reviewing it and this could be completed within a month. In relation to progress on possible financing methods, he said that this is ongoing. “It’s still being worked at,” the minister said.
Benn recalled that the Brazilian Development Bank, BNDES, was tasked with developing financing approaches but he said that there would have been some re-assessment and re-prioritising in projects as a result of the international financial crisis.
Benn noted that the Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao, during a visit to Brazil earlier this week, had announced the creation of a cooperation fund for the region, including the Caribbean, with an initial input of US$5 billion to promote the development of the manufacturing industry as well as a credit line of US$10 billion dollars to boost infrastructure cooperation through the Bank of China. Financing could come through this initiative, he suggested.
Additionally, Benn said that with a detailed feasibility study completed, some construction firms have indicated an interest in working on the road. But, he emphasised, financing is still to be worked out. Benn said that after the review of the feasibility study, proposals could be invited. “We will go out with a request for proposals at some point in time,” he said, adding that this is the normal route.
Last year, officials said that the paving of the Linden/ Lethem road remains high on the agendas of both the Brazil and Guyana governments. The Brazilian Minister of External Relations Antonio de Aguiar Patriota and Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, during a meeting in August here, discussed several matters of interest, including Brazil’s assistance in paving the Linden/Lethem road, constructing a hydropower plant and a deep water port.
Both Patriota and Rodrigues-Birkett underscored the importance of these projects, especially the road. The road, Rodrigues-Birkett said, is the top priority and she said that representatives on both sides continue to meet on these issues. Patriota emphasised his government’s commitment to developing infrastructural projects in Guyana and said that the Linden/Lethem road would be transformational and would have a strategic impact not only in generating more trade but in other ways that are mutually beneficial. However, when questioned on when a possible start date for the project, Rodrigues-Birkett said that this date has not yet been identified.
The paving of the Linden to Lethem road has been long talked about. At the commissioning of the Takutu Bridge in September 2010, then Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had pledged his country’s commitment towards advancing and expanding its bilateral agenda with the country, with an immediate focus on Guyana’s hydropower project and the paving of the Linden-Lethem road.
Meantime, the Ministry’s hinterland engineer Naeem Mohamed said that the current state of the road is “passable,” but he pointed to the need for maintenance. When the road is in a good condition, he said, the trip from Linden to Lethem can be completed in nine hours. Mohamed was optimistic that the work being done will stand up to future flooding. “There will be deteriorated areas during high floods. However, the preventative maintenance that is being implemented will reduce the cost of the next maintenance during this period,” he said. He explained that because the road is un-surfaced, there will be a maintenance cost but the ministry is trying to reduce this cost and improve the road so that when the next contracts go out, only minimal maintenance will be needed and the cost will be less.
The last contracts awarded for the road have ended and new ones are awaiting cabinet’s approval. These are in three lots with amounts of $40M, $53M, and $$86M for Lot 1 (0 to 65 miles), Lot 2 (84 to 135 miles) and Lot 3 (135 to 276 miles), respectively.
In relation to the problematic Hunt Oil stretch in Region Nine, Mohamed said that they are trying to implement preventative maintenance. He noted that they anticipate the rainy season sometime at the end of August. He said that grading and shaping will be done on the road in the Hunt Oil area as well as minor topping up of laterite.
Additionally, Mohamed said, the ministry is working to upgrade all bridges to 30 tonnes capacity. Out of 41 bridges, 38 have been upgraded to 30 tonnes, he said. He said that one bridge is in a critical condition and currently the ministry procuring a contractor to fix it.
