Min. Edghill

WITH 13.7 kilometers of the main access road in Blackbush Polder, Region Six, already completed, another $900 million will be expended to complete remaining rehabilitation works on the road by the end of the year.

This was revealed by Public Works Minister, Juan Edghill, over the weekend, during a community engagement with residents.
In 2021, the ministry had signed two contracts to the tune of $195 million for the rehabilitation of the road. Construction then was divided into three lots.
“You all know the trouble we would have had in building and maintaining and while building allowing the use of the road I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your co-operation. The challenges we have had, we have worked them out together,” Edghill told residents.

Apart from the works being done on the main access road, the ministry, through its miscellaneous roads programme, has done a number of communities.
“The government has done a tremendous amount of work to move this region out of its state of depression neglect and some instances where people were basically punished because of the way they voted and we have transformed that.”

Blackbush Polder is the home to over 3,000 rice and cash crop farmers who depend on the main access road to transport their produce to the markets.
Residents from the community, over the years, would have lamented the deplorable conditions of their roads on several occasions.
During the engagement, Edghill assured that the two additional contracts will see more extensive work being done to improve the lives of farmers and residents.
“By the end of 2023 early 2024, we would have completed the rehabilitation of 17 kilometers of your main access road.”
Meanwhile, at the regional level, works are underway to construct the Corentyne four lane highway.

“One of the major things that are happening and you will see how you fit into this is that we are upgrading the entire Corentyne highway from Palmyra to all the way to Crabwood Creek and that will be moved into a four lane road.”

For this project, two contractors are working on expanding existing bridges and culverts to accommodate the highway.
Already, for the year 2023, government expended $40.6 billion to improve roads and bridges countrywide.

The Ministry of Finance’s 2023 mid-year report revealed that, of that amount, a sum of $39 billion was spent on roads, while $1.6 billion was spent on bridges.
The report highlighted that several mega-projects are well underway to facilitate the government’s transformative infrastructural agenda. These include the Linden to Mabura Hill Road, and the new structures and relocation of utilities stretching from Palmyra to Crabwood Creek, in Region Six.

According to the report, “The upgrading of the East Bank Public Road from Good Success to Timehri is expected to commence before the end of the year. The upgrading of the section from Providence to Grove will commence in the third quarter of this year.”