THE approval by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) of a US$20M loan to support the government’s plan to expand the East Bank Demerara road into a four-lane highway is more good news for Guyana.
The project is important and timely, as pointed out by Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh, in yesterday’s edition of the Guyana Chronicle.
Dr. Singh noted that the road is a major artery in Guyana’s transport network, linking the capital city to the international airport, and used every day by tens of thousands of commuters and others.
In addition, many major industries are located on the East Bank Demerara and with the Guyana National Stadium at Providence being increasingly utilised, the need for adequate facilities to accommodate the significant increase in traffic becomes an imperative rather than an option.
There has also been a steady increase in the number of vehicles appearing on the roads, which comes with increased incomes and rising living standards.
And obviously, if the road networks are not expanded, the smooth flow of traffic will be problematic and the probability of accidents and the threat to life and limb will move up significantly.
This increase in traffic, combined with the construction of new residential developments on the outskirts of Georgetown, has contributed to congestion along the East Bank Demerara main road. The congestion, along with a lack of road safety features, has also led to frequent traffic accidents.
Those who are old enough will recall the scores of roads, in the city and around the country, that were once covered with potholes and the resulting difficulties these created for all road users.
Therefore, when this government assumed office in 1992, it found itself in a dilemma as it had to refurbish scores of roads countrywide and at the same time look to expand the network, with limited financial resources.
But with proper management and marshalling of those resources, the government has done a fine job in transforming the entire infrastructure landscape, including the roads.
The expansion of the East Bank Demerara road will be yet another addition to the infrastructure landscape transformation.
With the combination of local financing and financial support from the IDB, which has been Guyana’s biggest lender for infrastructure development and expansion, a tremendous job has been done to improve roads, bridges, schools, health facilities and other facilities.
The relationship with the IDB has been a good one as the Finance Minister acknowledged, pointing out that the bank has been a longstanding and responsive partner in Guyana’s development efforts, and this latest approval is most welcome.
The government has recognised the crucial importance of infrastructure development to attracting investors and socio-economic development and transformation and as such it has been persistently working towards this.