-works advance on new, modern terminal building
SAFER and more reliable travel to Karasabai in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) is one step closer to being fully realised as the upgrade of the Karasabai airstrip is now 70 per cent complete, with major works on the 3,000ft concrete runway nearing completion, while the construction of the new terminal building is well advanced.
The modern terminal, modelled after the Aishalton facility and donated by International Import and Supplies, will provide a comfortable space for passengers.
This $993M investment by the government will enhance connectivity between the coastland and hinterland, ensuring safer and more reliable travel for residents of Karasabai and surrounding communities.
It was reported in January that, as the government accelerates hinterland infrastructure and connectivity, some 50 people from the village of Karasabai in Region Nine would be employed to upgrade the current earthen airstrip into a concrete airfield.
This project will be built at a cost of $993 million, transforming it into eight inches of thick, rigid paved concrete, spanning a length of 3,000ft by 50ft, with a strength of 5,000 pounds per square inch (PSI).
About 50 navigational lights will be installed along the strip, allowing planes to land and take off at night in the event of an emergency.
It was further reported that Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, and a technical team from the ministry, including Head of the Special Projects Unit (SPU), Colin Gittens, visited the community to discuss the project with residents.
Fifty skilled and unskilled persons will participate in this transformative project.
“This model of development, where the Government of Guyana, through the Special Projects Unit, has been working with communities to do two things, ensure there is employment and add to economic activity, but at the same time delivering infrastructural development,” the minister said.
International Import and Supplies, the company responsible for supplying materials for the project, will also gift the village a terminal similar to the one being constructed at the new Aishalton airfield.
In early January, President Dr. Irfaan Ali commissioned two modern concrete airstrips in the villages of Paramakatoi, Region Eight and Aishalton, Region Nine, further boosting hinterland connectivity as outlined in the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C)’s 2025 Manifesto.
These projects provide safe and consistent transportation and create opportunities in agriculture, tourism, and other businesses, which improve livelihoods by creating jobs, increasing incomes, and supporting a healthy village economy.
