Land of Canaan-Soesdyke Road design to be completed by year-end – Pres Ali

President Dr Irfaan Ali has announced that the design for the new four-lane highway from Land of Canaan to Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara (EBD) is expected to be completed before the end of this year, marking another major step in the Government’s ongoing infrastructure transformation along the East Bank corridor.
During a site visit to Buzz Bee Dam, President Ali outlined that the final design and tender preparation for the project are being fast-tracked. “We are hoping that before the end of the year, we will have the entire design completed from Land of Canaan to Soesdyke, and not only the design, but the tender preparation ready,” the President said as he inspected ongoing works. He explained that the current section under construction, featuring a full four-lane carriageway with a median and dual drainage canals, will soon connect to the new roundabout being developed in the area. This segment is part of a broader, eight-lot construction package that will eventually link Land of Canaan all the way to Soesdyke.

President Ali noted that one remaining lot is awaiting final land clearance, after which full construction can begin on that section. The project, he said, represents the final phase of the East Bank highway expansion, connecting seamlessly to the newly completed Eccles to Ogle four-lane highway and eventually stretching all the way to Enmore, seamlessly connecting the East Coast to the East Bank corridor.
“When this network is completed, we are talking about a sixteen-lane integrated system, four lanes each from the Ogle highway, through Eccles, Aubrey Barker, and the Land of Canaan-Soesdyke corridor,” President Ali explained. “This is the kind of modern interconnection that will define the new Guyana, one that supports housing, commerce, and industrial growth.” The President also highlighted that careful attention is being paid to drainage and environmental management in the design phase. “We are optimising every piece of land we have. For example, the drainage canal along this new section will be interconnected and redirected around the roundabout. We’re not losing drainage capacity, in fact, we’re gaining capacity through the new designs,” he said. According to Guyanese leader, while the stretch between Land of Canaan and Soesdyke poses engineering challenges, including old sand pits and swamp areas, innovative design approaches are being explored to maintain cost-effectiveness and construction efficiency. “We are looking at options similar to those used in places like the Everglades, where overpass-style designs are used to build through swamp terrain,” he explained. The President expressed optimism that, with favourable weather conditions, significant progress will continue through early 2026. “By March next year, we should be well advanced. Once drainage and excavation works are completed, there will be continuous flow of construction activity,” he said. On August 25, President Ali commissioned $10.1 billion Great Diamond to Buzz Bee Dam Highway- the third phase of the East Bank highway expansion, which began with the Mandela to Eccles and Eccles to Diamond links. During the address, the President had explained that the newly commissioned link is already being extended to Soesdyke, forming part of the Government’s broader plan to eventually connect the coastland to the hinterland through a modern, efficient transport network.