The design for the proposed road link from Ogle, East Coast Demerara to Diamond, East Bank Demerara, has been completed and was recently revealed to the public by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure.
The design features a four-lane highway and two roundabouts to assist with the flow of traffic.
Chief Works Officer at the Ministry of Public Infrastructure Geoffrey Vaughn told this newspaper that with the feasibility and design phase completed, the ministry will have to await on a national budget before moving forward with the project.
“Before we can move forward with tendering we have to get a budget. The budget will allow us to move forward with this project,” Vaughn said.
Despite reports stating that some preliminary works were expected to commence late 2019, Vaughn explained that this was not the case.
The new road link will serve as a corridor for communities on the East Bank, including Perseverance, Mocha, Providence, Eccles, and Peter’s Hall. It will also provide a bypass from the city, where most traffic flows daily and congestion is a regular feature.
In August last year, it was reported that the estimated cost of the construction of the road link had increased by 3.5 times the original US $50 million cost. The project is estimated to cost US$175 million, which the Exim Bank of India was expected to fund.
Indian company RITES Limited had undertaken the feasibility study and recommended a four lane highway.
The Ministry of Public Infrastructure’s Technical Services Manager Nigel Erskine had previously said that the project would also include a 40-metre reserve in the middle of the two lanes, which the ministry decided on following a suggestion from Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson to have a rapid rail developed from Ogle to the Timehri airport that would enable persons to travel between the two locations within 15 minutes.
The ministry was mulling extending the road all the way to Timehri, East Bank Demerara. However, there has been no final word on that.
An artist’s impressions of the features of the project can be found on the Ministry of Public Infrastructure’s Facebook Page.
