Rupununi road link was abandoned after works halted

Contractors who signed a $200 million agreement to construct a road that would have linked the North and Central Rupununi communities were directed to do other works after the project was halted in 2019.

According to the Region Nine Chairman Brian Allicock, not much work was done when the project started in April 2019 but it was later halted with majority of the road being left incomplete. He said that the contractors were already paid so they were directed to do other works within the region.

He stated that there is a possibility that the project would be considered in the 2022 budget but nothing will be done this year.

It is unclear why the road was halted.

Around 4,000 residents of the North and Central Rupununi Districts, of Region Nine, are expected to benefit from the road, for which the $200 million contract has been signed.

In July 2019, it was reported that the contract between the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), JR Construction Incorporated along with B and R Construction was officially signed.

The Department of Public Information (DPI) had reported that the road was part of a larger project to transform public infrastructure in the hinterland.

It further said that during a presentation at a meeting held at the North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB), then Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Sydney Allicock revealed that the road, which would begin at Toka Village and end at Lethem, passing through villages like Kwaimatta, Yupukari, Quatata, Kaicumbay, Fly Hill, Parishara, Nappi, and Hiawa in the Central Rupununi.

Attempts to contact GMMC for a comment were unsuccessful.