— traffic lights to be installed, road marking to start

WORK on the multibillion-dollar East Coast Demerara road expansion and improvement project is moving apace and should be completed in time for the September 2019 deadline.
Coordinator of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Geoffrey Vaughn, said the extension of the four-lane section from Better Hope to Annandale is almost completed.

“Right now we are wrapping up the four-lane section of the East Coast Highway,” said Vaughn in an invited comment on Tuesday.

With the four-lane road almost completed, the contractor has started to work on the upgraded section of the two-lane road from Buxton to Bellfield.

Additional work also includes installing the lighting system, installing traffic lights and road markings.

“Because of the inclement weather, there is no guarantee that we will finish by September but we cannot complain about their rate of work,” said Vaughn, adding that everything else has been going well.

When completed, the four-lane section will have a median in the centre, equipped with streetlights.

Sidewalks will be built along populated villages, seven bridges and 12 culverts will be widened, and 11 traffic signals will be installed at busy intersections along the roadway.

The approximately eight-inch finished surface will comprise asphaltic concrete and road safety features including warning signs, road markings and pedestrian crossings.
Pedestrians and drivers told this publication that they are pleased with the work which is being done and anticipate the full completion of the work.

The contract for the East Coast Demerara road widening project was awarded to China Railway First Group Limited in 2014; however, the physical work commenced in August 2017.

In 2016, the government and the People’s Republic of China signed a G$9.6 billion (US$45.5 million) concessional loan for the completion of the widening of the road between Better Hope and Belfield. Guyana has contributed some $2.7 billion toward the project.