The Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) is in the process of undertaking environmental, social and economic impact assessments preparatory to commencing creation, restoration and modernisation of several waterfront recreational areas.
Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson has said that after identifying and addressing those issues, the MPI would issue tenders for the projects, and work is expected to start immediately thereafter.
Some preliminary designs for the creation and restoration of modern waterfront recreational areas between Kingston in Georgetown and Ogle, ECD; Stabroek Market on the eastern coast of the Demerara River and Vreed-en-Hoop on the western coast thereof, were completed last year, Patterson disclosed.
He added that tenders for the consultancy have been evaluated by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB), and will shortly be awarded.
Guyana has obtained a grant worth £53.2 million from the United Kingdom’s Caribbean Infrastructure Fund (UK CIF). It is intended to improve or create new infrastructure to drive economic growth and development. Minister Patterson explained that the MPI was initially expected to fund this waterfront improvement project, but the UK CIF invited Government to submit proposals for projects that would improve or create new infrastructure to drive economic growth and development, and that entity’s input would enable Government to do more in this regard.
He said there is no delay, but a process has to be followed.
“The implementation phase is to follow the guidelines of the DFID/CDB as opposed to our own funds; so it’s not really a delay, but a rescheduling of where the funds are coming from. We can do much more with the UK CIF/CDB funding; it’s larger than what we can fund internally, so that is the only delay,” the Department of Public Infrastructure has quoted Minister Patterson as saying.
British High Commissioner to Guyana, Gregg Quinn, announced at a recent press conference that contracts for the technical design and feasibility study for this project have been awarded. The expected duration for the studies is approximately nine months.
The UK CIF funding also allows for the acquisition of a dredge; rehabilitation and/or upgrade of the Linden-to-Mabura Road; and construction of a bridge across the Kurupukari River (Kurupukari Crossing). Minister Patterson has disclosed that the contract for the Linden-to-Mabura Road is also due to be out for tender this year.
The Caribbean Development Bank will be responsible for overseeing these projects, and a team from the Bank will be in Guyana in December to formalise the agreement on the projects.
