Contract for Ogle to Eccles four-lane road to be signed within a week and a half – Minister Indar
To alleviate the traffic congestion along the East Coast corridor, the Ministry of Public Works will be signing the contract for the four-lane Ogle, East Coast Demerara, to Eccles, East Bank Demerara, bypass road within a week and a half.
Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, made this disclosure during an interview with “Guyana Dialogue.”
“In another week an and half from now, we will also enter into contract with an Indian company to build the four-lane highway from Ogle to a company that we call Eccles on the East Bank to bring traffic from the East Coast… Who doesn’t want to the city or persons who want to go to the East Coast they don’t have to come into the city so that can deal with a whole host of traffic on that one side."
The Minister disclosed that the highway is being built on virgin soil. He also mentioned that the other highways and road links that the Government is doing are in new areas, allowing for massive economic activities within the environs.
“So, when the road goes there, it is massive economic expansion happens around that road. Let me give you a quick example, we just opened up the Mandela. A short piece of highway, relatively broad and so. But all the lands on right and the left of that become highly valued real estate."
In 2015, the Indian Government provided a US$50 million Line of Credit (LOC) for the road link originally slated for Ogle to Diamond, East Bank Demerara.
However, the previous A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) Government drove the project cost to a whopping US$208 million.
When the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government assumed office in 2020, the project was remodeled into two phases to fit the LOC.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that Ashoka Buildcon Limited won the contract to construct the road, ahead of two other Indian companies.
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