$136 Million to build Lima Sands road in Essequibo

The community of Lima Sands, located on the Essequibo Coast, will soon benefit from 800 meters of asphalted road, at the cost of some $136 Million.

The project which commenced last month, was awarded to S. Jagmohan Construction and Supplies, and is slated to be completed early next year.

Anticipations are, however, that due to the consistent rate of construction, the project may be completed before the end of the year.

Vice Chairman of Region Two, Mr. Humace Oodit, revealed that the project was awarded by the Central Government, through the Ministry of Public Works.

He further revealed that while the road will measure 800 meters in length, it will measure 20 ft. in width.

In an effort to mitigate erosion, he said, concrete drains will be installed on both sides of the road.

“The $136 Million will cater for phase one of the road, which is the 800 meters, complemented by the drains on both sides. The contractor will be laying sand followed by loam, followed by crush and run, and then finally the asphalt will be laid. The concrete drains on the other hand will measure 3ft. in width x 2fth depth,” the Vice Chairman said.

This publication was told that the construction of concrete drains along paved roadways, is now being adopted by the engineering department in an effort to extend the lifespan of constructed roads.

When asked what this mean for residents and the community in general, Oodit explained.

“Over the years we’ve received complaints from communities like Lima Sands area, and Onderneeming that flooding is one of the leading factors, which contributed to untimely erosion of our roads.”

He went on to say, “So we’ve realized that the road construction alone will not bring that much relief because the water will continue to flow in residents’ yard, and the undrained water will just erode and undermine the road. So, we believe that by installing concrete drains on both sides, something that is now being implemented, we are drastically increasing the life span of these road projects.”

Once completed, the roadway will benefit over 1,500 residents from within the developing community.

One resident, in an invited comment, said, “I happy that the road finally starts, even if it’s just a small piece because year and year we being promised and we never saw anything. So I hope that the other sections can start soon as well, because it really ain’t easy travelling out from in here, especially in the rainy season.

Another resident said during a brief comment, “I own a taxi, and it’s really expensive to buy spare parts to traverse this road on a daily basis, so I just glad that they make a start and I hope they can continue.”

The Regional Vice Chairman revealed that continuation of the project and its other phases, will depend on budgetary approval. “We can’t say when there’s going to be a continuation because we will have to wait on the budget approval.” Said Humace in an invited comment.