Road widening works are progressing rapidly along the Diamond/Golden Grove Public Road on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) to relieve road users of the daunting traffic congestion, and Public Work Minister Juan Edghill has expressed that he is “extremely happy” with the upgrades.
Public Works Minister Juan Edghill and one of the Ministry’s engineers
Speaking to the media on Sunday evening when he inspected the construction site, Minister Edghill explained that traffic congestion along this stretch is a result of the road being narrow and because of encumbrances at the edge of the roadway.
Edghill noted that he believes that everybody in Guyana would have experienced some amount of discomfort and delays when they are traversing this section of the EBD highway; and as such, immediate works had to be carried out on the roadway.
In addition to widening the thoroughfare, he disclosed that the Government has awarded 16 contracts for the building of drains on both sides of the road to ensure drainage and water flow.
The good news, according to Minister Edghill, is that the traffic is flowing day and night in the Grove/Diamond area, and “we have to keep and we have to keep doing so improvement.”
He has extended gratitude to business owners and motorists for their patience during this time.
Construction works along the Diamond/Grove area
“Businesses had to take temporary access while construction was going on.”
Last year September, the Public Works Ministry urgently facilitated rehabilitative work along the Diamond/Grove area. It had said that these works are not only to ease traffic congestion but also to improve transportation efficiency and road traffic safety at these locations.
Works include milling and resurfacing of the existing roadway, widening of the roadway, and construction of a bridge linking Third Avenue, Diamond into Grove. These works will aid in providing a smooth and uninterrupted flow of vehicular traffic through Diamond/Grove area, and provide an alternative route for drivers who are using the Mocha/Diamond road link.
The construction of the bridge will eliminate the need for drivers 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. In Budget 2022, an allocation of $2.1B was made for the widening and paving of the East Bank highway from Grove to Timehri.
