RESIDENTS of Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) will soon benefit from $8.6 billion in road works, as 268 contracts were signed on Friday at the Albion Community Centre, to pave the way for the commencement of this transformative project.

Vice-President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, who led an outreach to the region, said that, overall, some $20 billion will be expended on roads and bridges in the region.
The Vice-President said one of the main demands throughout the country has been for better infrastructure.

Dr. Jagdeo said a recent meeting held in the region prompted an increased investment in community roads from $4 billion to $10 billion. It was also highlighted that the investment in the region is to compensate for the neglect the region endured for five years under the previous coalition administration.

“Today, we are here now where over 200 more roads with about over 260 contracts will be awarded. So that will keep the promise that over 300 roads will be done this year,” Dr. Jagdeo said.
He added: “I said we had $4 billion in the budget for and that we would probably have to increase another $4 billion to get this done. Well, it will be $10 billion that will be spent on community roads in this region.”

The investment has been described as essential by the Vice-President, who also made it clear that in the next budget, the government will continue to invest in the development of infrastructure in the region.
He also disclosed that $10 billion in contracts have been awarded to facilitate the widening of the main access road to four lanes. However, he said the government is still ironing out some kinks to make the transformation possible.

“We want a major four-lane road from Moleson all the way to New Amsterdam. So that is what we are now looking at, but already contracts to the cost of $10 billion have been awarded to do 99 bridges on the main road to widen them. If we are going with the four lane, we probably have to amend those contracts to widen them even further so we can accommodate the entire four-lane road,” Dr. Jagdeo said.

Contractors executing the works were issued a stern warning by the Vice-President to not only complete the work within the stipulated time but also to produce quality work. This means carefully following the scope of works as outlined in the contracts.

“If when we test that and we find that any one of those things are not met, you are not getting another contract,” Dr. Jagdeo said.
The region’s leaders were also called upon to ensure that the residents get value for their money.