Taking a journey along the Mahaica/Rosignol road
A GINA feature, December 10, 2004
By Aneka Edwards
Planning to take a trip to the ancient county of Berbice? Well you can now do so with ease and comfort. The 66 mile stretch of road from Mahaica to Rosignol is about to have a brand new surface.
On December 4, my cameraman Ameer Khan and I took a road trip to Rosignol to speak to persons about their views on the ongoing road rehabilitation works.
Driving along, one can see several signs highlighting the massive infrastructural works, which fall under the Road Rehabilitation Programme. US $22.1 M has been allocated to rehabilitate the roadway which was in a deplorable state.
We stopped to interview a few drivers who expressed their satisfaction with the new road. Some said that it took them approximately one and a quarter hours from Mahaica to Rosignol, and they had to negotiate huge potholes along the road.
According to Paul Moore, who has plied to route for over 10 years, he is pleased with the roadwork, as the contractor has taken off most of the dangerous turns and that will reduce the likelihood of accidents.
Minister of Communications and Hydraulics, Anthony Xavier, in a recent interview, had said that the road had had to done since it was one of the major roadways in the country. “Government approached the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for monies to fund the project.”
“It is our mandate to improve public infrastructure in roads, buildings and sea defences. We realised the road had to be done and from what I have seen, significant progress has been made on the road,” stressed Minister Xavier.
The road project is funded by the Government of Guyana and IDB. DIPCON - a Trinidadian Company is executing the project. The consultant overseeing the project is S&C Lavelling.
Road works began in May 2003 and are expected to be completed in February 2005. The road has been paved with asphalted concrete and has been widened.
There are additional features on the roadway, including pedestrian crossings, reflectors and sidewalks.
Vanessa Sealy feels relived now that these features have been added. “I am a mother and I want to know that my children are relatively safe when they use the road.”
Minister Xavier said that the provision of sidewalks is a safety mechanism and there are provisions in the project for traffic signs, “This falls under the ‘road safety component’ of the project and it is mandatory for all the major roads that are being rehabilitated now.”
Prior to our visit, there was an article in one of the newspapers in which residents spoke of the need for streetlights to improve visibility on the road.
“Within the project itself we are looking at putting up more than 600 streetlights. Because of the cost factor and electricity, we have decided to put these lights in the populated areas along the road,” Minister Xavier disclosed.
As regards the durability of the road, consultant Mohammed Ishmael who was on site to inspect the road, reassured us that the durability of the road is more than seven years.
“With the designs we have seen the road will last a while,” he said.
Minister Xavier agrees, and added that at the moment there are plans to modify the road plan so that the durability of the road can go up to about 15 years.
At the Rosignol stelling, the area is currently being expanded. This is to ease traffic congestion. Ishmael said that with the expansion, there will be improved parking facilities.
Commenting on the economic viability of the rehabilitated road, Minister Xavier said the traffic is much heavier now that is takes a shorter period, and pointed out that farmers especially will benefit.
On the way back to Georgetown, we saw a Police rank on the road with his speedometer, on the lookout for motorists breaking the speed limit. The speed limit is 40 miles per hour.
Within a few minutes, the traffic rank pulled in two vehicles that exceeded the speed limit.
The Works Minister is encouraging motorists to adhere to the rules and regulations on the road.
This road project is just one example of Government's commitment to improving infrastructural development countrywide, stated Minister Xavier.
He noted that the Works Services Group in the Public Works Ministry has also successfully completed feasibility studies and designs for the Corentyne Highway project, which includes the rehabilitation of roads and structures from the New Amsterdam Ferry Stelling to the Moleson Creek Ferry Terminal.
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