DRAINAGE works are currently ongoing on the dumpsite access road at Eccles, East Bank Demerara (EBD), which is an important connector to both the Mandela to Eccles and the Ogle to Eccles four-lane highways, President Dr. Irfaan Ali said in a Facebook post on Sunday.

The new drainage infrastructure is set to complement the significant road upgrades that are expected to commence soon.

The road has seen an increase in traffic since the April 14 opening of the new $2.3 billion concrete, four-lane highway linking the area to Mandela Avenue.

President Ali, at the commissioning of the road, had said that the investment, which is in keeping with the government’s vision of transforming Guyana’s infrastructural landscape, will not just ease the traffic congestion on the EBD corridor, but it will also serve to transform the landscape of Guyana as the country continues on its trajectory of development.

Speaking about the spinoff benefits of the new highway, Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, said that it has unlocked massive lands for development; this means that major housing developments are expected to continue across the EBD.

The housing minister added that since being elected to office, the government has expended some $6.8 billion for infrastructural works on the EBD corridor alone, in areas such as Providence, Prospect, Little Diamond, and Great Diamond, with the new highway complementing those works.

“2022 will see even more investments in the housing sector. Our government has committed more than $27.5 billion for infrastructure works on the EBD corridor that will include Great Diamond, Golden Grove, Little Diamond, and new openings for commercial lands on the East Bank. And this also includes the continuation of the construction of the four-lane highway from Eccles to Great Diamond, which is already in progress,” the housing minister said.

Since assuming office in 2020, the government has already allocated some 11,000 house lots.

The upgrades to the dumpsite road are particularly important to the other major infrastructural project – the $10.4 billion Ogle to Eccles Road – which is being undertaken by the government.

Dr. Ali said that, in addition to being a tangible link geared at easing the usual traffic congestion along the East Bank corridor, the new road will also enhance the quality of life for residents.

He said that the massive undertaking is part of the government’s plan to improve access to new lands for housing, farming, and business.

Works are presently ongoing on the second phase of the initiative which will see the four-lane road continuing to Great Diamond, EBD.