The multibillion-dollar East Coast Demerara Road Expansion Project will be extended to Hope, Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson has revealed.
The official, during an outreach in Ann’s Grove yesterday, told residents that the decision was made last week to extend the expansion works to encompass the additional areas.
Initially, the project was to span from Better Hope to Belfield. As of January of this year, the project was reported to be 55 per cent complete. The contractor, China Railway First Group limited, had finished the construction of 14.2 kilometres of the reinforced concrete side drain and 473 metres of reinforced revetment. Five of the seven bridges along with the 10 culverts were completed as well.
The contract for the East Coast Demerara road widening project was awarded to the Chinese Company in 2014, however, the physical work commenced in August 2017. The two-year project is set to be completed by the end of September of this year.
In 2016, the government and the People’s Republic of China signed a GYD$9.6B (US$45.5M) concessional loan for the completion of the widening of the road. Guyana has contributed some $2.7B towards the project. It is unclear who will fund this new extension from Belfield to Hope.
The minister also reminded attendees of a grant agreement that was signed between Guyana and the Government of Kuwait to start the design of the road upgrade from the Hope Bridge all the way to Rosignol in the county of Berbice.
