$1.45B Aubrey Barker Road to be completed by year-end – President Ali

President Dr Irfaan Ali has announced that the expansion of the Aubrey Barker Road into a four-lane highway is nearing completion and will be fully operational by the end of this year. The project forms a critical part of the wider urban infrastructure network linking key corridors across Georgetown and the East Coast Demerara.

During a visit to the site on Tuesday, President Ali said the Aubrey Barker Road link, which connects several major communities, will soon be completed, providing a vital link between the new Ogle Highway and the Enmore road network.
He explained that the new four-lane expansion is designed to significantly improve traffic flow and connectivity across major urban and residential areas.
“That entire section is already completed save and except for some little spaces where we have some intrusion on the carriageway. We have to correct those and finish off that section of the road. So, before the end of the year, this section from Ogle all the way to the Mandela roundabout will be completed, giving us another four lanes of interconnection. So, you have these four lanes of interconnection here between Ogle and Eccles. You have another four-lane at Mandela; that’s [an] eighth lane. Then you have the old four-lane road; that’s 12 lanes,” the President said. The President emphasised that with the completion of this section, commuters will soon be able to travel from Ogle to Mandela Avenue on continuous four-lane roads, easing congestion and improving accessibility for thousands of daily road users.
When combined with existing and ongoing expansions, the infrastructure will total 12 lanes of connected roadway between Eccles, Mandela, and Ogle – forming part of the Government’s broader vision for a modern, interconnected urban corridor. This development, President Ali noted, reflects the Government’s aggressive drive toward national modernisation and urban transformation.

“So, from here you will see the similar development going from Ogle all the way to Enmore that will see another four-lane expansion from Ogle, LBI, Lusignan, and Mon Repos all along the East Coast into Enmore. That will be adding to the already expanded four-lane road on the old East Coast corridor. That, of course, will open up again thousands of acres of land for industrial, manufacturing, commercial and housing development. So, this is the type of development, the type of changes that are occurring at a rapid pace,” Ali added.
The President also revealed that Government planners are looking ahead to even greater integration of transport infrastructure.
He reaffirmed that these massive infrastructure projects – from new four-lane highways to potential rail systems – represent the foundation for a new urban Guyana, one that supports sustained economic growth, new housing zones, and faster, safer travel.

“This is the type of infrastructure that is being built out as urbanisation continues to expand and new growth centres are being created,” the President said.
Construction on the $1.45 billion four-lane expansion project is being executed in phases as the Government accelerates the delayed work. The project started in August 2022 and was expected to be completed and delivered in July 2023. The contract was awarded to Surrey Paving Aggregate Company Caribbean Limited.
However, amid delays faced in the completion of the project, the Public Works Ministry had sent out tenders in February 2024 for the continuation of the 1.3-kilometre road, which will be expanded to four lanes.