Govt pumps $70M to construct roads in Karrau Village

Public Works Minister Juan Edghill has recently announced that $70 million would be pumped into the development of roads in Karrau village, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), making road development works among the largest infrastructural works to be implemented in that village.
The Minister has said this project is part of the PPP/C Administration’s commitment to upgrading 2,000 kilometres of hinterland roads, and phase one of the project is set to begin immediately.

“The reason why I am here is to bring you good news, because we only bring good news. We have awarded the contract of almost $70 million for the upgrade of roads in Karrau, and this is part of our commitment. When we went to the elections in 2020, we said we will do 2,000 kilometres of hinterland roads. We [Government] put that in black and white,” the Minister said, while delivering remarks on this major infrastructural project at the Karrau Community Ground.
The road works would span approximately five kilometres, covering all the internal roads in the village, and the project would be executed by JBS Investment Inc. The Minister noted that the contractor is expected to be fully mobilised within a few weeks.
Edghill highlighted that village Toshao Shane Cornelius would obtain an unpriced bill of quantities, which is being done to offer transparency to the villagers.
“We are a Government that is committed to transparency; we believe in good governance, we believe in accountability. The people who are the beneficiaries must know what the Government is spending the money on, and if it isn’t correct, bring it to our attention, to ensure that you are getting proper delivery,” Edghill has said.
To foster community engagement and economic growth within communities where major development is being done, contractors who carry out infrastructural works on behalf of the Government are being urged to employ residents from within the communities they are assigned work.
“We have said to contractors all across the country that ‘When you get a job and go into a local area, employ people from the area’, because infrastructural development must mean better infrastructure, but it must also bring employment to the community while you are benefiting from a new road,” Edghill added.
Meanwhile, following that announcement, Edghill announced that the project would see phase two being implemented in 2023.
After concerns were raised by the Toshao of the village about a bridge called Lara Kabra, which was poorly constructed by previous contractors, the Public Works Minister said the condition of the bridge would be addressed in phase two of the road project.
“We can include that as a phase two,” the Minister said, “with the road and the bridge included. So, when we finish this current contract for 2022, we can include that for 2023, and we come with a phase two, including the bridge: do a proper bridge and some more of the road.”
Cornelius said the Lara Kabra bridge was made out of inferior materials, and those have deteriorated over time, making the bridge “very dangerous” to traverse.
The Toshao noted that improvements were made to the bridge, but they were only short-term solutions, because the improvements didn’t address the root cause of the problem with the bridge – the posts that keep it in place.
Minister Edghill has assured residents that he would be returning to inspect the road upon its completion.