The newly commissioned expanded 4.4 Kilometres Aubrey Barker Road in Georgetown is being seen as more than just just another infrastructure project. The Government highlights the project as part of its deliberate push to linking communities and opening up new opportunities.
At the commissioning last evening, President Irfaan Ali said the new highway which joins the Eccles-Mandela highway, the heroes highway, the Bharrat Jagdeo Demerara River bridge as well as the East Coast and East Bank expansion, marks another milestone in the Government’s push to improve the country’s infrastructure.
“Residents of South Ruimveldt, North Ruimveldt, Festival City, Lamaha Springs and indeed residents of South Georgetown, and all those who use this roadway, today is an important day in South Georgetown because today we are continuing to lay the foundation of that new Guyana. For many years the Aubrey Barker Road has served as a trusted artery to and from the communities of South Ruimveldt, Festival City, Lamaha Springs, it has carried persons to work and children to school, albeit with a lot of frustration,” the President noted.
The President said though it faced many challenges, the old Aubrey Barker Road served its purpose as a vital corridor of connectivity. However, as the country moves forward, he said the infrastructure must match its pace.
“That is why today, this historic roadway has been transformed into a modern four-lane thoroughfare, built for a Guyana of today and prepare for a Guyana of tomorrow. This road now links South Georgetown more efficiently to the rest of the city, it connects communities directly to the heroes highway and create faster access to businesses and development along that corridor,” the President said.
Meanwhile, Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill noted that while there have challenges with the project, the Government was sure that it had to be done and up to standard.
The Ministry of Public Works and the Central Housing and Planning Authority worked collaboratively on the project which was done in phases.
“The next phase will be the drains, that will have to ensure that we get the link with the Liliendaal pump station so we can clear this basin quickly and we are currently working on that. You will also please to know that, while we are doing work here on the Aubrey Barker Road and what we did in South of itself, the bridge that was continually being broken is being fixed,” Mr. Edghill noted.
The project was completed at a cost of $6 Billion.
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