Edghill urges new, enhanced approach to road construction, concrete works

– says there is need for resilient, efficient work

Engineers of the Ministries of Public Works and Local Government are being encouraged by Public Works Minister Bishop Juan Edghill to embrace a new and enhanced approach to road construction and concrete works.
During a training session for staff of the two ministries, held at the Marriott Hotel in Georgetown on Thursday with the aim to empower staff with the skills and knowledge to adapt to evolving development needs and construct high-performing roads and infrastructure, the minister pointed out that Guyana’s construction boom has brought a strong need for resilient, efficient work, as the number of new and ongoing projects surges.

“The Government of Guyana is committed to delivering value for money.
We don’t just want to say we spent money on a project, we want to be able to build it. In case anybody is thinking we are just building things for the short term, this PPP/C administration, whatever we are doing here, is not for 5 or 10 years; this is a legacy,” Edghill has posited.
He said that while the country’s oil wealth has paved the way for a plethora of developmental projects, Government prioritizes responsible financial management to ensure long-term development, not wasteful spending.
“We are not splurging, but we also need to be projecting into the future,” he disclosed, as he underscored the responsibility of engineers to ensure that inconveniences are minimised and projects are completed on time. “People’s patience has an expiry date. Your number one priority is to ensure that projects are completed on time, and within budget,” the minister underscored.
Further, he declared, there is a vast improvement in contract management under the MoW leadership, in that when the PPP/C Government took office, overpayment of contracts was a major problem for the then-Public Infrastructure Ministry.
“That has significantly changed. We are not going to pay for what was not done,” the minister has said.
The minister expressed hope that the two-day workshop would foster interactive discussions on existing gaps in the road construction process, and how these gaps can be filled effectively.
Permanent Secretary of the Works Ministry, Vladim Persaud, has echoed these sentiments and called for enhanced communication between the engineers and the clerks of works, especially in relation to the design and methodology process.
“The idea is to have more communication and working with the engineers and the clerks of works within the various regions that are implementing the Miscellaneous Roads programme, so that in the final design, we don’t have situations whereby there is always an issue or there must be changes to the design,” the PS has said.
Participants have been engaged in sessions covering various topics, including Procurement and Finance, Survey and Assessment, Durability and Reliability of Road Works, and Rigid and Flexible Pavement Systems.