Negotiations ongoing with IDB on funds for Grove-to-Timehri upgrade – Edghill

…says remedial works will be done in interim from Sept 3 – 7

Negotiations are still ongoing between the Government of Guyana and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for funds to upgrade the East Bank public road, but in the meantime, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill has said that remedial works will be done on the road.
In a statement from the Minister, he acknowledged the traffic congestion that occurs in the Grove/Diamond area. And while they continue their negotiations for funds to upgrade the road from Grove to Timehri, immediate interventions will be taken to ease the congestion and will last until September 7.
“The Ministry of Public Works has been meticulously monitoring the daunting issue of traffic congestion along the East Bank corridor more so at Diamond/Grove. The Ministry is currently in negotiation with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for funds to undertake rehabilitation and expansion works along the East Bank Public Road, from Grove to Timehri which will further aid in achieving the infrastructural development goals of the Ministry.”
“Notwithstanding the aforesaid negotiations, in order to ease the persistent fatigue caused to road users traversing along the Diamond/Grove area, the Ministry of Public Works have decided to urgently facilitate rehabilitative works in this area not only to ease traffic congestion, but also improve transportation efficiency and road traffic safety at these locations,” Edghill explained.
According to Edghill, the remedial work will include milling and resurfacing of the existing roadway, widening of roadway and construction of a bridge linking Third Avenue Diamond into Grove, EBD.
“These works will aid in providing smooth and uninterrupted flow of vehicular traffic thru Diamond/Grove area, and provide an alternative route for drivers who are using the Mocha/Diamond Road link,” Edghill explained.

“The construction of the bridge will eliminate the need for drivers having to connect to the public road in the vicinity of Diamond Main Access Road but rather at Jimbo Bridge, Grove, which is after the severely congested section of the public road. Works are scheduled to be undertaken Saturday evening, September 3, 2022 thru Wednesday September 7, 2022.”
The Government has been undertaking the upgrade and expansion of the two-lane road at Grove (from the entrance to Diamond Housing Scheme) all the way to Timehri. Previously, Edghill had said that work on this road would start this year.
Some $2.1 billion was set aside in Budget 2022 for the widening and paving of the East Bank Highway from Grove to Timehri. And in July, a number of bids for the widening were opened at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB).
Based on the bids that were opened, at least four Chinese companies have bid to be prequalified for the contract. They include China Railway First Group and China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group. Also, bidding was China Railway Construction (Caribbean) Company Limited.
China Road and Bridge Corporation, another Chinese company, also submitted a bid. Meanwhile, Alya Construtora SA, a company based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, also submitted a bid to be prequalified for the project. Rounding out the bidders was Mir Akhter Hossain Guy Inc. The company’s principal address is located in Bangladesh.
The Grove to Timehri project ties in with the overall work being done to connect the East Bank and the East Coast of Demerara through the Ogle-Diamond bypass road and the Eccles-to-Mandela Road, which has already been completed.
The Ogle-Diamond bypass project will see the construction of some 26 kilometres of road 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.
It was announced in January of this year that Ashoka Buildcon Limited won the contract to construct the road, ahead of two other Indian companies. Ashoka has built a number of bridges and roads. According to the company’s website, it even built a bridge in 38 days, namely the Mandve Bridge near Pandharpur, India. The company said the bridge was supposed to be built in 12 months. (G3)