During the past week, Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo visited the four polders in Black Bush Polder, where he met with residents and promised that the Minister of Public Works would outline the upcoming roadworks for Lesbeholden, Mibicuri, Johanna, and Yakusari. Following that commitment, the Public Works Minister visited the area today, accompanied by Region Six Chairman, David Armogan, and a team of engineers, to provide details about the planned road construction for the year.
Minister Edghill announced that the Government has embarked on a new phase of development in Black Bush Polder, with 59 new roads to be constructed and these roads have been divided into 108 projects. These projects include three in Johanna North, 25 in Lesbeholden North, 18 in Lesbeholden South, 19 in Mibicuri North, 25 in Mibicuri South, 12 in Yakusari South, and six in Zambia.
“What we are seeking to do—and that is the Vice President’s commitment—is to ensure that everybody knows what is happening. They must have the evidence of having the bill of quantity, they must be provided with the name of the roads that will be constructed, and the contractors who will be doing the various roads,” Edghill explained.
In this current phase of road construction, the focus is on areas with a high population density. In subsequent phases, the Ministry will target streets with smaller populations that have not been previously rehabilitated, similar to road projects being executed across the country. The first phase prioritized roads leading to schools, hospitals, health centers, and other government services.
“There are some gaps that exist because we can’t have the whole of Black Bush Polder locked down; we have to leave space for people to still move while construction is taking place. What is not done in this phase will be completed in the next, because ultimately, when we finish, every street in every community must be fixed. Since we’ve been in government, we would have completed over 4,000 community roads already, and in this round alone, we have 475 projects,” the Minister added.
The News Desk understands that the roads will be constructed using a standard design of rigid pavement concrete, which is expected to last longer than asphalt.
Only last week, 475 contracts for rehabilitation works across Region Six were awarded to small contractors from the region. Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, along with Ministers of Public Works Bishop Juan Edghil, Senior Minister within the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance and Public Service, Dr. Ashni Singh, and Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Zulfikar Mustapha, engaged the contractors during a simple contract signing at the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) office in New Amsterdam, Berbice.
This initiative forms part of the PPP/C Government’s efforts to empower small contractors and enhance infrastructure across the country.
