Travel across Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) has been made hassle-free with the commissioning of the much-anticipated Schoonord-to-Crane four-lane Highway on Thursday.
The new Schoonord-to-Crane four-lane Highway
Opened by President Dr Irfaan Ali alongside Prime Minister Mark Phillips, Housing and Water Ministers Collin Croal and Susan Rodrigues, other Cabinet ministers, and government officials, the new $15.1 billion highway connects Schoonord on the West Bank of Demerara (WBD) to Crane on the West Coast of Demerara (WCD) with a round-about outfitted with a Totem pole at the intersection that links the two corridors.
During his feature address, President Ali noted that the completion of this four-lane highway is another tranche of the milestones that the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic Government has achieved as part of efforts to transform the infrastructure network across Guyana – something which he says was not an easy feat.
“We are here on a very significant occasion and that is, not to turn the sod but to open [the Schoonord to Crane highway] … And we have delivered this within two years of COVID, two floods, one drought, two global wars, the highest transportation prices, the highest food prices [and] food insecurity. We have gotten past all of this and delivered above and beyond what we promised in the manifesto,” Ali stated.
According to the Head of State, this highway is a part of a grand vision to transform all the regions in Guyana.
In Region Three alone, he highlighted the unprecedented developments that are taking place both by the government as well as by the private sector that will position the region as the energy capital of Guyana. Pegged as the fastest-growing region by population, Ali pointed out that this is a stark contrast to the state of affairs in Region Three under the previous government.
“Outside of government’s investments, the private sector is investing billions of dollars in this region. Only four years ago in the region, people were abandoning their lands at Crane… Today, your land in Crane which you were abandoning is valued as much as any piece of land in Georgetown.”
“That did not happen by accident. The value creation that you see in this region did not happen by accident. It happened by a carefully articulated vision that outlined a clear strategy as to what the development trajectory will be,” President Ali stated.
Meanwhile, the Head of State outlined that this new highway, which runs in the backlands, will open up thousands of acres of land for agriculture development as well as housing developments.
This sentiment was shared by Croal, who noted that in Region Three alone, 11 new housing areas have been established over the years by the PPP/C Administration. In fact, he disclosed over the past four years, the government has invested heavily in the region’s infrastructure, building new and upgrading existing community roads.
“This highway will immediately bring further development, reduce travel time, reduce traffic congestions, and open up new opportunities for entrepreneurship which bodes well for the long-term viability of West Demerara and its prospect for future development,” Minister Croal stated.
The construction of this Schoonord-to-Crane four-lane highway is part of a much larger initiative to establish a secondary road link to Parika, East Bank Essequibo (EBE). This new highway will be extended to Parika.
Works on this four-lane highway commenced in 2022 when contracts to the tune of $11.8 billion were signed with eight contractors – VR Construction Inc., Avinash Contracting & Scrap Metal Inc., L-Heureuse Construction and Services Inc., GuyAmerica Construction Inc., AJM Enterprise, Vals Construction, Puran Bros Disposal Inc, and JS Guyana Inc.
All contractors were required to finish their respective projects by October 25, 2023. However, after massive delays, they were given several extensions that pushed back the project’s completion.
This corridor is one of the major transformative projects being undertaken in Region Three and will be connected, at Schoonord, to the new bridge across the Demerara River that is also currently under construction. With the highway to be eventually extended to Parika, it will open up new lands for housing and commercial developments in the region as well.
In Budget 2024, the Government earmarked $9 billion to advance works on the Schoonord-to-Crane Highway. (G-8)
