WCD road project nearing completion
The US$44M road project for the rehabilitation of 30.7km of road from Hydronie to Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara is in its final stages of completion, with minor works left to be done by International Standard-certified Jamaican Construction Company Surrey Paving and Aggregate (SPA) Co. Ltd. and BK International.
This is according to Danian Douglas of SPA, who is a Project Manager for the joint venture on the fourth road project being executed by the two companies. SPA, Douglas said, is the lead contractor in the joint venture project. Douglas explained that all major works have been completed on the two-way highway. In fact, the Project Manager revealed that the road project will wrap up on March 20, 2018 after facing extended utilities relocation delays and has not exceeded its budget. He further explained that small areas of patching to side roads, removal of construction debris, the erection of road safety signs and road markings are outstanding in villages such as De Willem, Vreed-en-Hoop and other isolated areas along the project corridor. The contract for the project was signed by the then PPP/C government and commenced in January 2015 with completion in three years’ time. It was funded by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) with counterpart funding from the Government of Guyana. An asphalt plant valued at US$850,000, with funding from the joint venture partners, was a major part of the project’s mobilization. That plant, which was installed in December 2015 at Boerasirie, West Coast Demerara and commissioned in February 2016, has a production rate of 160 tons of asphalt per hour and produced in excess of 80,000 tons to pave the road. The asphalt plant was sourced in India, and is said to be the first of its kind in Guyana, and is a pollution deterrent. The road project, Douglas explained, did not only cater for road expansion, but also for the construction of new reinforced concrete drains along various sections of the corridors, the construction of a new bridge, repairs to bridges/culverts, thermoplastic road markings, erection of road safety signs and guard rails, clearing and maintenance of culverts, and construction of sidewalks, among others.
Speaking with Kaieteur News, Douglas disclosed that Surrey Paving and Aggregate Co. Ltd. had main responsibilities for project management and quality control, and that the joint venture received adequate support from its partner, BK International, as it relates to equipment resource, knowledge of the construction industry and dealing with local staff issues. Douglas further disclosed that the project received “practical completion” in December 2017, and at that time, only minor works were left to be carried out. According to Douglas, utilities from the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) and the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T), in most cases, hampered the free flow of work. Hence the project was unable to meet its January 2018 completion deadline. As a result, an extension up to this month end was approved. The main interference from the utility companies was fibre optic cables and distribution water pipe mains, he noted. Apart from these, inclement weather cause some delay in the project being completed on time. “We also had weather challenges, we had environmental challenges, and we had social issues relating to traffic management,” said Douglas, adding that, problems relating to the environment were resolved through consultations with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and residents.
(Kaieteur News)