THE Administration of Region Five (Mahaica/Berbice) is gearing up to spend over $184M on roads, bridges and drainage projects across the Region this year as part of its capital programme.
The majority of this sum, $88M, is to be spent on rehabilitation, upgrading and continuation of community roads in both the Mahaicony-Abary Sub-Region and the Abary-Berbice Sub Region. Out of this overall allocation for infrastructure development by the Government and under agricultural development, $25M will be spent on improving drainage and irrigation channels in six villages in Mahaicony.
The largest of these D&I projects is the rehabilitation of a total of 12.4 miles of channels and dams at Perth/Biabu Canal and Cottage/Planters’ Hall at a total cost of approximately $14M. Some 3.32 miles of the northern side line drain at Perth Village will be rehabilitated at a cost of $6M.
One drainage structure with a regulatory head is to be constructed at Davis Area at a cost of $1.5M and another at Grass Hook at a cost of $2M. The D& I system in the Mahaicony-Abary sub-Region will also benefit from the construction of one sluice at Perth and another at Strath Campbell, at a costs of $492,000 and $1M respectively. The Administration will also spend $14M to construct a tarmac at the Abary sluice which will facilitate activities of fishermen who use the area as a site for their fishing operations and related business activities.
With respect to access to farmlands, Farm to Market roads at Mahaicony , No 8 Village West Coast Berbice and at Biaboo Mahaica Creek, will be rehabilitated at a cost of $34.5M and a bridge will facilitate access to farmlands at Now or Never Mahaicony, at a cost of $3.5M. Under bridges, two green heart timber bridges are to be constructed: one at Union Village West Coast Berbice, north of the public road and another at Zeskendren, Mahaicony, at a cost of 1.8M and $6M respectively.
A concrete bridge is to be constructed at a cost of $7M at Gillis Avenue Hopetown and neighbouring Bush Lot Village. They will benefit from a $4.5M Reinforced Concrete bridge at Four Foot. Meanwhile West Berbice communities of Catherina’s Lust, Litchfield, Lovely Lass, Waterloo, Paradise and Rosignol, are slated to benefit from rehabilitation, upgrading and continuation of community roads at a total cost of $85M and work will commence on the upgrading of Benjamin Street at Perth Mahaicony with a start-up budget of $3M. The Administration has issued invitations for contractors to tender for these works. Many of these tenders already submitted are to be opened this week and on April 4th next.