…as approximately 95% of road works completed – Town Clerk
The mining town of Linden in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) is currently receiving a massive infrastructure face-lift with hundreds of roads being rehabilitated and constructed; a significant number of which have been completed to date.
Last December, small contractors from Linden signed an additional 94 contracts to upgrade roads across the mining town.
The signing, held at the Watooka Guest House, followed the awarding of 325 contracts valued at $4.2 billion for road upgrades.
The landmark initiative is part of the Government’s ongoing community road improvement initiative aimed at enhancing infrastructure while creating employment opportunities.
Providing an update on these projects during a recent edition of the Municipal Matters programme, Town Clerk Lennox Gasper revealed that more than 90 per cent of these projects have been completed so far, with the remaining projects expected to be completed shortly.
“In December, there was a number of contracts that was given out, over 500 lots of road contracts that were given out to various residents of Linden…and I am happy to report that approximately 95 per cent of those works have been completed. There were a number of delays, some persons…for some they had issues with the supply of materials, for others they were labourers…work – because at some point they began to get more work than they had labourers available to be able to get these works done.”
Moreover, on the topic of infrastructure, the Town Clerk also referenced the new US$35 million Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge that is also being constructed in the region.
According to Gasper, these projects will serve as a crucial avenue that will promote tourism and commerce within the region.
“Once there is the free flow of transportation and access to businesses, we’re talking economic boom, economic growth. We have our nightlife, the hotel industry. We have the tourism sector – all these areas where persons now will want to make Linden a destination, a place to come, a place to want to overnight.
He added, “And as the country moves into decentralising some of the key sectors and companies or organisations, then persons don’t have to journey all the way to Georgetown, because we do have gas stations here in Linden. So when you come out of the interior, you can be able to gas up and go back into the interior right here in Linden.”
The Ministry of Public Works was allocated $209.1 billion in the 2025 budget for infrastructure projects, including road and bridge construction and rehabilitation. This allocation is part of a larger national budget of $1.382 trillion, which is 20.6 per cent greater than the 2024 budget.
