THE woes of dilapidated bridges and improperly constructed roads in urban, rural and hinterland areas across Guyana are bound to be things of the past, given the APNU+AFC’s commitment to infrastructural development as detailed in the 2015 budget.Making his debut presentation of the national budget on Monday, Minister of Finance Winston Jordan told the National Assembly that the Government intends to create a bypass road linking Diamond on the East Bank Demerara to Ogle on the East Coast Demerara and a new, fixed bridge across the Demerara River.
The new bypass road, he explained, will open up unutilised lands to support a modern housing scheme which will benefit 1,100 households, while creating new jobs for Guyanese. It will also establish a more efficient link between the country’s two international airports – Ogle International Airport and the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.
With a whopping $13 billion allocated for enhancing the roads and bridges network throughout Guyana, the Government has also proposed $1.2 billion for the completion of the East Bank Demerara highway, which will provide improved transit from Providence to Great Diamond. Expansion of the East Coast Demerara Highway was also mentioned by the Finance Minister.
Additionally, $1.6 billion has been budgeted for the upgrade of the Sheriff Street/Mandela Avenue Road, with the intention of making it a “modern thoroughfare” for Georgetown. This upgrade, Jordan noted, will create an improved road linkage between the East Coast and East Bank Demerara.
And in an attempt to link the Sheriff Street/Mandela Avenue urban development to peri-urban communities, $387 million will be invested by the Administration to upgrade the Sophia “Ring Road”.
UPGRADING COMMUNITY ROADS
Giving assurance that rural development will materialise, the Finance Minister explained that this will be done through investments of $544 million to upgrade community roads and bridges in the 10 administrative regions.
Moreover, a provision of $1.2 billion was also made to upgrade more than 28 km of farm-to-market access roads and bridges located in Laluni, Onverwagt, Parika and Ruby Backdams.
“We will construct a road link between Parika and Goshen that will provide an alternative access route to Bartica; construct all weather roads in Regions 7 and 9, to open new opportunities to exploit our natural resources; and upgrade internal roads in the proposed new towns of Bartica, Mahdia and Mabaruma,” Minister Jordan told the House.
In addition to roads, Jordan announced the Government’s intention to allocate $542.7 million to fund a remodelled Community Infrastructure Improvement Project (CIIP). The aim of this, he said, is to enhance the aesthetics of communities and to preserve and maintain critical community infrastructure.
“In 2015, it will create employment for 500 persons in community- enhancement activities related to rehabilitating and maintaining community infrastructure, including drains, small bridges and parapets. This allocation will also finance the creation of green spaces in selected areas countrywide, including Bartica. Once successful, it is anticipated that this initiative will be expanded to more communities across the country,” the Finance Minister stated.
Further, he underscored the importance of roads, bridges, culverts and similar infrastructure in creating wealth; linking people; and closing the gap between farms and markets and between businesses and the factors of production, and how essential these are for a healthy and sustainable economy.
He also acknowledged that in the past, the focus was on reconstruction and/or upgrading the existing assets and that not much attention was paid to planning for new infrastructural facilities.
But according to him, the Government intends to ensure the construction of new road links, particularly a road linking the country’s two international airports that provide an alternative option to the East Bank highway; and the linking of the city and coastland to the new townships of Bartica, Mahdia and Lethem.
In this regard, he alluded to a “comprehensive master plan,” which he says the Government will use to improve, create and invest heavily in new infrastructural assets and drainage and irrigation systems.
“[But] this is against the backdrop that Guyana’s national and international competitiveness has suffered because of the lack of structured and coordinated investments in public infrastructure.
“The sorry tale of poor and often absent drainage and irrigation for our farmers; dilapidated bridges, wharves and stellings; improperly constructed roads in urban, rural and hinterland areas; poorly maintained aerodromes; unreliable riverine transportation; and the everyday obstacles to production, productivity and the enjoyment of the qualities of a good life that we all strive and work for, will become things of the past” Jordan assured the National Assembly.

By Ravin Singh