Govt seeking consultant for Ogle to Diamond road project

— to provide supervisory services for 1st phase

The Ogle to Diamond bypass project, which will form an important link between the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) and the East Bank of Demerara (EBD), has progressed to the point where the Government is seeking a consultant to supervise the first phase of the project.

According to a notice, the Government is seeking bids from eligible companies, to provide consultancy services for supervision of phase one of the road linkage project, which is from Ogle to Eccles.
The project entails constructing 7.8 kilometres of a four-lane road, each lane 3.6 metres wide and a median. It also includes concrete drains, sidewalks and a utility corridor along the length of the road.
“Additionally, a two-lane connector road will be constructed at Eccles-Haags Bosch. This road will also be of asphaltic concrete. Minor bridges and culverts are to be constructed along the connector,” the notice also said.
According to the notice, the Government will provide funding for eligible payments under a contract for which this invitation is issued. It further noted that consultants will be considered based on their technical competence, qualifications and experience in similar assignments both locally and internationally. Their financial capacity and existing commitments will also be considered.
“The objective of the consultancy is to effectively manage the implementation of the project, providing construction supervision and contract administration during the construction phase and defects liability period,” the notice said, further detailing that the assignment will last for no more than 30 months. Applications must be submitted no later than April 29.
The bypass project will see a total of 26 kilometres of road constructed, linking two of the country’s main thoroughfares. This new road link will also be connected to key communities in Georgetown and along the East Bank of Demerara. These include Diamond, Mocha and Eccles – all on the East Bank – and Aubrey Barker Road in Georgetown. These connections will prove crucial in diverting traffic.
Last year, works began on a new alternative road connecting Diamond and Eccles on the EBD corridor in order to ease the traffic congestion. Government has said that this project is likely to be completed in April 2021.
The new alternative road will run from Sixth Avenue, Diamond, to the Windsor Estate Road that leads on to the Eccles Landfill Site Road. This will form a connection through the new Herstelling Housing Scheme and other schemes that are being developed along the EBD corridor.
President Dr Irfaan Ali had also revealed in January that the Government is looking at building a four-lane road between Eccles on the EBD and Mandela Avenue that will significantly ease the traffic congestion. The Government is looking to do this by November.
The bypass road is part of the India-funded Bypass Road Project which would link the East Bank Demerara corridor to the East Coast of Demerara, 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, the project was at a standstill for several years.
The Ali-led PPP/C 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 Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).