Alignment being cut for Timehri to Bartica Road
Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill
Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill

WORK is expected to commence soon on the road linking Timehri Region Four (East Bank Demerara) and Bartica Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), according to Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill.

The minister, in making this announcement at the recent commissioning of the DCSN Manufacturing Inc. concrete batching plant, said that the cutting of the alignment of the road from Sand Hills to Bartica is currently ongoing; this is a major step that is taken before the work on the road begins.

Minister Edghill said the project would improve the commute between the coast and the hinterland, by significantly reducing travel time, since commuters would no longer have to travel to Parika, then journey to Bartica, and vice versa.

The Public Works Minister, during a visit to the Timehri section of the proposed route, said: “The possibility of a road from Bartica to Timehri is no longer an idea, it is something that is doable.”

He related that the project would supplement a similar road link to be done from Bartica to Parika, Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara). That link will eventually see a network stretching from Parika to Goshen and onwards to Bartica.

Likewise, citizens will not have to travel to Linden, then to Rockstone, through to Sherima Crossing for a barge, and then make their way to Bartica.
The minister added that the project also ties into other major infrastructural works such as the Schoonord to Parika alignment.

Like the other major roadworks, the Bartica-Timehri route will open up new lands, leading to an increase in agriculture, trade, housing, and tourism opportunities.

In outlining the plan, Minister Edghill had said: “We will go to the drawing board with the coordinates. We will look at all of the practicalities and of course, the shortest possible route is what we will be examining. We will probably have to get a geologist to do some soil testing to ensure that we have materials in the closest proximity for the building of that road.”

Further, he said the ministry will later decide on the best option to facilitate barge crossings where the road terminates at both the Timehri and Bartica sections.
Minister Edghill noted that this massive road link is in keeping with the government’s vision of enhancing accessibility across the country.

In keeping with its plans to develop and upgrade the infrastructure across the country, the government has allocated some $76.7 billion for roads and bridges under the Ministry of Public Works in the 2022 budget.
Of the $76.7 billion, $49.2 billion will be spent on roads, while the remaining $27.5 billion will go towards bridges.

This year’s allocation for roads and bridges is a $55.6 billion increase over what was set aside and approved in 2021.

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