The Ministry of Public Works has announced that it was able to rehabilitate 130 km of roads under its Miscellaneous and Urban Roads Programmes in the past year, and was able to engage 800 new contractors in the execution of a number of drainage projects, as it executed 96% of its budget for 2024. 

At a press conference over the weekend, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Works, Vladim Persaud explained that the Ministry expended 96% of its $245.1B Budget. 

The Ministry was initially allocated $236.1B, but later received supplementary funding, bringing the total to $245.1B. 

It was explained that of the $222B in capital projects executed, $175.6B was locally funded while foreign funded projects accounted for $46.4B.

It was also disclosed that a large percentage of small contractors were awarded contracts with a ceiling of $15M each.

The Permanent Secretary pointed out that 800 new contractors were hired to execute emergency works on secondary and tertiary drainage networks within Georgetown and other townships. 

“At the end of the year, through our largest urban drainage programme ever implemented, we have had over 800 new small contractors added to that process across the country,” Persaud told reporters. 

Weighing in on the work done by the Public Works Ministry, Senior Engineer and Head of the Special Projects Unit, Collin Gittens, said his Unit under its Road Maintenance Unit, spent $2.8B carrying out road maintenance works including the patching of roads.

A total of $1.2B was spent on road materials alone. Another $1.2B was expended on the Unit’s Weeding and Cleaning Programme which saw the hiring of 120 contractors and more than 1000 persons. 

Gittens said 130km of roads were rehabilitated under the Miscellaneous and Urban Roads Programme using some 62,000 tonnes of asphalt. 

“Under the Miscellaneous Roads Programme, we have completed a total of 384 roads in various communities on the East Bank of Demerara, East Coast of Demerara, in Georgetown, on the West Bank of Demerara, and we have completed approximately 130km of road work,” he explained. 

A number of roads were also rehabilitated under the Hinterland Road Programme. 

Meanwhile, Head of the Works Services Group, Ron Rahaman said since 2020, the Public Works Ministry has completed a total of 4,322km of roads, including a number of major highways and roads. 

Additionally, 150 new bridges were built while 66 bridges were maintained since 2020, including 38 bridges along he Mabura Hill to Lethem Corridor. 

Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill said the continued investments in the country’s road and drainage networks are in keeping with the commitment made by the Government. 

“We have literally taken people out of the mud. We have gone through the math, and when aggregate all that we have done over the years, including what the special projects unit would have undertaken, we would have done more than 8,000 projects in terms of communities. And in some instances, at one walk the entire community. Right now, in Parfaite Harmonie we are doing 25km through the Special Projects Unit. We have completed all the roads in Albouystown, Charlestown, Lodge, Rasville, Roxanne Burnham Gardens, and we did the same thing at Melanie,” the Public Works Minister said. 

He said the Government has undertaken a number of major road projects, and in the Hinterland, it has completed more than 2,500km of roads, surpassing its manifesto promise of 2,000km of roads within a five-year period. 

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