With the aim of easing traffic congestion, the PPP/C government is looking to build a four-lane road linking Eccles on the East Bank of Demerara to Mandela Avenue in Georgetown.
According to President Dr Irfaan Ali, the new road link connecting communities on the East Bank of Demerara is expected to significantly cut commute time for residents and modernise the surrounding areas.
President Ali and a team, including Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal, visited the proposed locations earlier today (Saturday, January 23, 2021) to check the alignment and interconnection and discuss ways of getting a quality product in a short time.
“Because of the immediate need to ease the congestion, we are now building this alternative connection….All the traffic from the back would not go to the front, they will drive through the feeder roads to reach Mandela Avenue,” the Head of State said.
The link is different from the Ogle to Eccles-Diamond bypass four-lane road and will serve to ease traffic jams within months.
The first phase is from Sixth Avenue, Diamond, EBD, to Eccles passing through the Herstelling New Scheme. This phase should be completed by April for vehicular traffic; while the second phase will have a four-lane connection from Eccles to Mandela Avenue, which should be finished by November.
President Ali charged his team to expedite the process while ensuring the quality of the product delivered since, he noted, traffic is a burden to commuters.
“Let’s focus on bringing an end to traffic problems on the East Bank….All of this is to bring ease, fastest commute time, less wear and tear on vehicles, greater efficiency, the amount of manpower we lose in the traffic is not sustainable for our development, not sustainable for our citizens, the aim is to improve our standard of living and quality of life by reducing travel time.”
The Head of State added that the road would not just link the communities and ease congestion, but enhance the quality of life for residents. He spoke of having a Government hub close to the roadway which would not only house the police, army, fire service and medical emergency, but also a new school.
“This is part of the infrastructure transformation, an integration of communities, because now Diamond, Prospect, Eccles, Herstelling, Covent Garden, Mocha all these communities will be integrated,” he said.
Additionally, the Government will be upgrading a number of roadways in Diamond, which should further enhance travel time within that community.
The President also proposed having a modernise system to police the road, which includes the building of police towers and a Wi-Fi system connected to cameras which would automatically ticket drivers.
“We will have tower-to-tower connection, so if someone is speeding at tower one, that person would be caught on camera and can be stopped by police at tower two. We need to look at smarter, safer and more modern ways going forward,” President Ali posited.
