By INEWS
The Ogle to Eccles Highway was on Monday evening commissioned, opening up a corridor of opportunities for the further expansion of the country’s economic development.
This message was underscored by President Dr Irfaan Ali during the commissioning ceremony of the US$133.8M road project.
Among these opportunities include the expansion of the government’s housing programme on newly accessible lands along the road, the opening of international hotels, and the construction of private and public hospitals.
The Head of State said along the new highway, “you will have six new hotels, all internationally branded hotels and three of those hotels are nearing completion; we will have five new public and private hospitals just along this stretch, tens of thousands of new homes, three new massive industrial hubs and two massive manufacturing hubs.”
He added that aside from the projects highlighted above, the private sector has calculated some US$500M investment for new developments along the corridor.
While the road will significantly reduce travel time, the President said it is not just about traffic management but rather part of the broader transformation of Guyana’s road network to keep pace with the country’s economic growth.
Opening more land for mining, access to farmland, and faster access to healthcare are among other benefits. He said that while it will decongest the city, it will also lead investors to new areas for development, enable easier access to many communities, and improve the overall quality of living.
The President also touted new parking lots, which he said will be built with lighting and security to accommodate heavy-duty trucks and machinery on the East Bank and East Coast of Demerara, thereby removing the need for these equipment to occupy spaces on the parapets and walkways.
Further, he said, “We’re also creating what we’re calling the manufacturing and industrial hub where we’re going to take all of our small [businesses]; the spray paint people, the mechanics, all the woodworking people that are industrial in nature so we will reduce the noise nuisance, the dust nuisance and improve the quality of life in villages.”
Using the secondary “hard-surface road” built alongside the Ogle to Eccles road, the President said efforts are also ongoing to run the government’s planned train/tram system.
“So when we talk about the train or tram system, the infrastructure is also being built, and the design and urban planning that is taking place is already setting aside the possibility of having this,” Ali said.
In addition, he noted that a massive new transmission line will interconnect the East Coast, the East Bank of Demerara, Berbice, and Region Three, utilising the latest technology.
Furthermore, the government’s e-ticketing system will be installed, along with an e-traffic management system, which will display to drivers the current traffic conditions ahead. “E-traffic management will be linked to the screens that you see along the road that will be able to tell drivers how you need to divert based on what is behind you or ahead of you,” he explained.
This will be complemented by an app that allows drivers to plan their routes using their smartphones before embarking on their journey.
“We are building a first-class country for the citizens of this country,” he assured.
The President highlighted several connecting links on the East Coast and East Bank of Demerara, which will help to ease traffic congestion and provide alternative routes to drivers.
This includes a road link alongside the new Silica City on the East Bank connecting to the Linden-Soesdyke Highway.
“We have completed the design of the connection from Land of Caanan to the Linden-Soesdyke Highway…That is going to be a spectacle because we are building…a floating foundation, we’ll be building a causeway – set aside for swampy areas – because we want minimal impact on the environment,” the President explained.
Some of these new roads are already underway and are expected to be completed before the September 1 General and Regional Elections.
The new highway, he concluded, is a “bold declaration that Guyana is on the move, not by chance but by choice, not by accident but by deliberate action. The road is about our ambition, not cast in stone and asphalt; it is about progress poured and paved; it is about our vision translated into reality.”
While the government continues its infrastructure development projects, the President assured that investments in salary increases for public servants, cash grants for families and support for the traditional agriculture sector will continue.