Contracts valued at over $281 million were signed on Tuesday for the rehabilitation of roads in regions Six and Nine.
The Department of Public Information (DPI) reported that three contracts were awarded to three contracting companies from the respective regions and Junior Public Works Minister Deodat Indar, and the Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat facilitated the signings at the Ministry of Public Works, at Fort Street, Kingston.
A contract was awarded to J.R Ranch Inc. for the rehabilitation of the Lethem to Annai, North Rupununi road in Region Nine. The contract is valued $85,975,155 and the project should be completed over the next nine months.
A contract, valued at $165,766,650, for the rehabilitation of the Black Bush Polder one kilometre stretch, 6.7-meter-wide main access road at section two Johanna, in Region Six, was awarded to Kascon Engineering Services. The works are due to be completed over a seven-month period.
A contract was also awarded to Sawa Investments Inc. for the rehabilitation of a road in section three, Mibicuri, Region Six. The $29,806,770 project is slated to be completed in three months.
According to the DPI report, Indar said maintenance of the Annai to Lethem Road under the former government left much to be desired.
“That was not a sustainable way of doing that particular stretch of road. So, in the new build of material for this particular contract for the Annai to Lethem, in the building material there’s 39,000-meter cube of laterite to be placed in building up back the sub-surface of this particular road,” Minister Indar said.
Bharrat added that he was pleased to have the project at this juncture, since the Annai to Lethem Road, which links Lethem and Georgetown and Lethem and Brazil, remains an important roadway. “That is in keeping with our promise that we intend to link Guyana to Brazil so that it could boost economic activities not only along that corridor but between the two countries…I am particularly pleased too that we are at this point because this stretch or this section of the road has a great impact on the logging and mining sectors,” the minister said.
Contractors were urged to ensure the projects are completed within the stipulated timeframe and to employ persons from the region.
