AFTER contending with deplorable infrastructure for years, residents of Good Hope, East Coast Demerara (ECD), have been relieved of the physical strain following the commissioning of the upgraded phase two road network on Thursday. The $120 million upgrades, which will benefit hundreds of residents and other commuters, form part of the Ministry of Public Works’ miscellaneous roads programme for Good Hope phase two and Back Street, Lusignan.
“We are here to continue to signal and to reinforce the message that the PPP/C [People’s Progressive Party/Civic] believes in development in a non-discriminatory manner… we believe in development that provides equal access and equal opportunity… the school across there should have been completed a long time ago and be open [sic] up for the children to start attending,” Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, said in his remarks at a simple commissioning ceremony for the upgraded road.

The Public Works Minister said that the miscellaneous roads programme is tailored in a way which would ensure citizens get the best service from the government.
To this end, apart from the rehabilitation of Good Hope’s main access road, the government also undertook to construct a 58-foot bridge, which would complement the new infrastructure.
Further, Minister Edghill told residents of Good Hope that more is planned for the community this year.
In outlining some of the future projects, the minister said that some $150 million will be expended on the upgrading of the main access bridge, while $16 million will be spent to rehabilitate the fifth cross street. The Public Works Minister said that the government undertook similar road works in Buxton, with project costs exceeding $300 million.
Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall, who was also at the ceremony, reiterated the government’s commitment to community development.
He said that President Dr. Irfaan Ali remains committed to ensuring that all communities across the country benefit from modernised infrastructure and that citizens enjoy a better quality of life.

“The President has made tremendous commitments during his campaign and now, today, is a manifestation of the commitments that our President made. One of the salient things that his excellency committed to is that every community road will now be upgraded into asphalted concrete, as this is part of the transformation of our communities,” Minister Dharamlall said.
He further reminded the residents of Good Hope that the Ministry of Local Government, as part of its efforts to enhance livelihoods and improve infrastructure, is also conducting similar exercises in the Good Hope community.
“When the infrastructure in our villages is improved, then we are going to have better standards of living; we are going to have easier means of ingress and egress; we are going to have greater scope for property development in our villages. And I believe that with what plans we have moving forward, today is a seminal day where we are showing the rest of Guyana that this government is committed to all the villages in this country,” Minister Dharamlall said.