Eccles dumpsite road on schedule for March completion – Min Croal

Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal has reassured citizens that the Eccles Industrial Access Road project, also known as the ‘dumpsite road’ will be completed by March this year.
During a recent interview with the Department of Public Information, the Minister provided an update on the progress of the works being carried out by the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) on the section of the road between Winsor Estate and the Eccles to Diamond four-lane road.
“We had to put in place concrete drains and then we will move to asphaltic concrete… most of the drainage work is complete but we are near the area within the vicinity of when you meet the four-lane.
“About $1.2 billion is being spent in that area. All works are expected to be completed by next month,” the Minister explained.
The industrial access road leads to the industrial area, Providence and other housing developments.

It is also part of one of the main connectivity for the Ogle, East Coast Demerara, to Eccles, EBD roads being executed through the Public Works Ministry.
“Any work that you’re seeing on the eastern side of the four-lane [road], that is part of that [East Coast-East Bank Road] development…And so, work has actually started on some drainage works, which is being done through public works,” Minister Croal further explained.
Back in April, 2022, the $2.3 billion four-lane Eccles-to-Mandela Highway was opened, thus providing an alternate route to bring relief from the heavy traffic on the East Bank Demerara (EBD) during the morning and afternoon rush hours.
The project, which was executed by the Housing Ministry’s Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), represents the construction of the country’s first fully concreted four-lane highway, with dual carriageways of two lanes each and jointed reinforced concrete pavement.
However, works are presently ongoing on the second phase of the initiative which will see the four-lane road continuing beyond Eccles all the way to Great Diamond, EBD.
This four-lane road project is a result of efforts by the President Dr Irfaan Ali-led Government to ease traffic congestion on the East Bank, which not only leads to the country’s main port of entry – the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) – but also fields traffic coming from West Demerara.
Already, the Housing Ministry has constructed an alternative road from Diamond Housing Scheme to Mocha on the East Bank to divert traffic from the public road. That project was completed to the tune of $5 billion, and was opened last December in time for the Christmas holidays.
These projects run alongside the India-funded bypass road project which would link the East Bank Demerara corridor to the East Coast of Demerara (ECD), creating a new highway in the backlands.
The Indian Government had provided a US$50 million Line of Credit (LoC) for the road link that was initially slated for Ogle, ECD, to Diamond. Under the previous Government, however, the project was at a standstill for several years.
Having taken office in 2020, the People’s Progressive Party Administration has since redesigned the project into three phases to fit the LoC. It will now run from Ogle to Haags Bosch at Eccles in the first phase, then from Eccles to Diamond, and finally from Diamond to Timehri to connect to the CJIA. However, the Indian LoC will only cover the first section of the road, that is, from Ogle to Eccles.
Meanwhile, this year, $54 billion was allocated to the housing sector for major infrastructural works, of which $7.3 billion will go towards the continuation of the highways at Eccles to Diamond, as well as an additional $5.4 billion for the Schoonord to Crane road.
The Minister informed the public that both projects are expected to be completed by the middle of 2023 and 2024, respectively.
These investments in infrastructure will significantly improve the transportation network in Guyana and will play a critical role in driving economic growth and job creation in the country.