Work on four-lane East Bank Demerara highway moves ahead
PREPARATORY works to facilitate the construction of the four-lane highway extension from Providence to Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara,  are well under way in several areas. These works include the backfilling of an existing canal to the east of the East Bank roadway.
However, residents of Somerset Court, a gated community at Herstelling, East Bank Demerara , though happy at having the roadway widened to  allow for a faster flow of traffic, are seeing `red ‘ with a number of  the  decisions which leave more questions than answers.
A main concern is the threat of flooding in the community with the backfilling of the entire canal which drains the area, and the decision to replace it with a mere six-foot drain.
It must be noted that during periods of heavy rainfall, as is evident currently, both the canal to the front of the development and a trench to the back which separates it from a housing scheme, are normally filled to overflowing with water.
One very vocal resident expressed to the Chronicle her concerns about the safety of her home and young children from `speeding’ vehicles.
To emphasise the point, she recalled that at least on three separate occasions vehicles crashed into a house at Bagotstown, and most recently  a car crashed into the front stairway of a house at Agricola, both villages on the East Bank.
In expressing disgust that the current scenario presents a complete breakdown of safety and  security once enjoyed by residents, the woman emphasised that she, like other residents,  “bought homes in the development because we wanted safety and security, and the government in its developmental decisions owes it to us taxpayers to preserve these, even if it means putting up a high fence, or else the value of our homes will go down.”
A recent meeting among the resident, the contractor and representatives of the Works Services Group on behalf of the client, left much to be desired.
Questions were asked as to why it appears that a decision which was apparently taken at an initial meeting to erect a fence to preserve the security of the community is no longer being considered as an integral part of the project. But residents were told at the meeting that the underlying factor is from where will funds be sourced for the fence.
Approximately three kilometres of roadway are involved in the project, being funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), in collaboration with the Government of Guyana, at an approximate cost of $US22M. It is being executed in three lots  by contractors Dipcon Engineering Services, BK International, and Gaico Construction – in association with General Earth Movers of Trinidad and Tobago.
Dipcon is executing works from New Providence to Prospect, in the vicinity of the Guyana Water Inc., which falls under Lot 1; Gaico Construction, in association with General Earth Movers, is doing Lot 2, from Prospect to Diamond, near the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) plant; and BK International Lot 3, from the DDL plant to the Diamond/Grove intersection.
The East Bank Demerara highway is the only thoroughfare linking East Bank Demerara villages to the city of Georgetown, and as a result of the heavy traffic which traverses the thoroughfare on a daily basis, specific emphasis has been placed on the management of traffic during the execution of the project.
To this end, contractors of the respective lots are required to each make an interim two-lane bypass to divert traffic from the actual construction area.
This would see some sections of the existing  GuySuCo  canefields on the east of the roadway being converted into two-lane bypasses.
On completion, the extended highway road will consist of parks for vehicles, lanes for bicycles, pedestrian crossings and bus stops.