“A GARDEN of Eden awaiting the plough” was the description attributed to the ‘Del Conte’ road now that Head of State, Donald Ramotar has announced the possibility of its reopening.

Well-placed sources in the Ministry of Public Works have disclosed that at present the stakeholders that would be involved in the initial phase of the reopening of the trail are currently putting together the relevant data accumulated over the years.

Described as ‘very feasible’ this publication has been informed that in recent years there had been moves to have bulldozers clear the trail that would, at the time provided  for ‘fair weather access.”
The official who spoke with this publication on the condition of anonymity revealed that locating funds to undertake the project was the bugbear as it would have also entailed the construction of several crossings.
President Ramotar had announced minutes before the traditional flag raising ceremony at the National Park that “we are keenly examining the possibility of reopening the Del Conte trail via a road link between Parika and communities close to Bartica.”
President Ramotar at the time said that when constructed the road has the possibility of opening up thousands of acres of new lands for agricultural cultivation thereby increasing food production and securing greater economic opportunities for farmers, while providing a much needed road link to areas formerly only accessible by river.
This area he said is one of the two possible new agricultural frontiers that we are looking at opening up. The other is in Region 9 (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo).
This publication was also informed that another area that has generated some interest for the possible opening of new lands would be along the West Bank of the Demerara River.
This link according to the official would provide access from the coast to the Hilly Sand and Clay belts of Guyana’s interior.
This route would also serve to open up a plethora of land for agricultural purpose.
The Del Conte road project which was initiated some 50 years ago, during the pre-independence era, under the stewardship of Dr. Cheddi Jagan as Premier of Guyana had been subject to a litany of criticism.
It was abandoned shortly after.
According to reports during the 1960s, the administration had made significant investments into the project that acquired its name after a Venezuelan company that acquired the then contract.
The proposed road was to be constructed along the eastern bank of the Essequibo River linking Parika with Makouria, another community on the mainland some 45 miles up the Essequibo River.