A US multimillion-dollar project to transform the East Bank of Demerara Public Road into a four-lane, fully-lit thoroughfare all the way to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri is expected to begin this year, according to Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill.
Tenders for the supervision of the project were opened last Wednesday with the design and build aspect to be closed in July.
Three companies, ALYA Construtora S.A. of Brazil; China Road and Bridge Corporation and China Railway Construction (Caribbean) Co. Ltd (CRCCCL) out of China; and China Railway Construction Bridge Engineering Bureau Group Co. Ltd. (CRBG) also out of China, have all been prequalified to bid for the project.
The tender process closes on July 26, 2023.
The construction of the road is being funded by a US$117 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank under its climate resilient road infrastructure project and US$17 million from the Government of Guyana.
Six firms had responded to the invitation for expressions of interest for the supervisory and consulting process on the road. They are: 1) Beston Consulting Ltd (Trinidad & Tobago) with nominated sub-consultant Caribbean Transportation Consultancy Services (CARITRANS) Company Limited (Guyana); 2) Politecnica Ingegneria ed Architettura Societa Cooperativa (SC) (Italy) with nominated sub-consultant SRKN’gineering & Associates Ltd. (Guyana); 3) Sheladia Associates Inc (USA); 4) WSP Caribbean Limited (Panama), 5) Exp Services (Canada) in association with CEMCO (Guyana) Inc; and 6) Imtraff Group (Brazil) in association with Nippon Koei Co. Ltd (Japan) Nippon Koei Latin American Caribbean Co. Ltd. (Japan). Four companies from that list were shortlisted and bids submitted.
Those four bidders are: 1) Beston Consulting Ltd (Trinidad & Tobago) 2) Sheladia Associates Inc (USA) 3) Exp Services (Canada) and 4) Politecnica Ingegneria ed Architettura Societa Cooperativa (SC) (Italy).
Stabroek News was informed that evaluation of the Technical Proposals from the four bidders listed above will commence shortly.
Under the project, some 24 kilometres of the road from Good Success to Timehri will be upgraded and outfitted with traffic safety road markings and safety signs, street lighting, roadside drains, and shared-use paths for cyclists and pedestrians.
“…Sections of that road will be a four lane, the entire stretch is being developed all the way to the Timehri Airport… The improvement will be all the way to catch the four-lane at the intersection by the Timehri Police Station,” the minister explained.
Edghill told this newspaper that prior to the approval of the project, IDB officials had visited and engaged in scoping missions to validate their proposal.
Commuters have been complaining bitterly over the quality of the drive between the airport and Diamond, EBD public road. Many had taken to social media to highlight the plight they face with regard to traversing the road.
They had highlighted that the road surface is uneven and bumpy with potholes in some areas. They also complained about sections of the road being poorly lit with drivers being forced to slow down to share the road with large trucks.
Take your time
“You really have to take your time on this road. It is a challenge every time you are driving up [to] the airport because you have large trucks speeding and you have some minibuses also speeding [so] you really need to be careful,” said Carl (only name given), a driver from Berbice who frequently travels to the airport.
Another driver, Sydney, who operates a taxi, stated that driving on the road during the day has its challenges but it is risker at nights “because you have to compete for space with these sand trucks. They are always speeding.”
A recent passenger to the CJIA, who asked not to be named, said the ride to the airport after Diamond was not smooth as the driver kept having to dodge potholes and at one point risked getting a puncture.
While the works are expected to start from Good Success, Edghill pointed out that the infrastructure upgrade recently completed at Diamond/Grove to upgrade the drainage to facilitate road-widening, will also complement the planned road upgrades.
The upcoming IDB’s Diamond/Grove to Timehri road project, is similar to that of the Sheriff/Mandela Road.
In February, during a visit to assess the road works, Edghill noted, “I think everybody in Guyana would have experienced some kind of discomfort and delays on this road, simply because of two things, the road was too narrow, and secondly, the encumbrances at the edges of the road were multiple, and the traffic was too much passing through here.”
“Eventually this entire road will be resurfaced having been built to a particular quality, but the good news is that the traffic is flowing, day and night in the Diamond/Grove area, and for the first time in years, traffic is moving smoothly through this area.”
“If you would recall President Irfaan Ali would have visited and the Ministry of Public Works would have responded. I would like to thank the business owners as well as the citizens because in order for us to get this thoroughfare as wide as you are seeing it now, a lot of people were inconvenienced, businesses had to take temporary access while construction was going on, but along the entire carriageway, those 16 contractors were able to execute the work.”
“We have a wider surface which means people are able to park off the road so that at all material times, we have two lanes of flowing traffic”, he said.
A release from the ministry said that works done are part of a broader government initiative to improve traffic efficiency, reduce congestion, and heighten safety for all categories of road users along the Diamond/Grove, East Bank Demerara corridor. The Ministry of Public Works is also upgrading main streets within the Diamond and Grove Housing Schemes to function as a bypass of the Grove area.
The release said that the bypass projects are being supervised by a team from the Ministry, headed by the Senior Project Engineer in charge of Traffic Safety and Maintenance, Kester Hinds, who explained the scope of work to be undertaken.
“These projects include the upgrading of Backstreet Diamond, Third Avenue Diamond, and First Bridge Access Road at Grove Housing Scheme. It will include widening of the existing roads/streets, construction of concrete drains and pedestrian walkways along the identified sections of roads”, he said.
Hinds said the Ministry is also constructing a bridge at the end of the First Bridge Access Road in the Grove Section, to connect Old Grove to New Grove Housing Scheme. While other roads within Grove will see similar upgrades.
“Communities in Grove, such as Samatta Point will become accessible from the soon-to-be-developed accesses,” he noted.
The Ministry of Public Works will be spending approximately $1 billion on these critical works that will significantly improve the commuting experience.
