The $5 billion Mocha to Great Diamond interlink road along the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) was officially opened on Monday morning by President Irfaan Ali.
The road is expected to enhance the travel landscape along the route, while also reducing daily commute time and developing housing schemes.
Plans for the bypass road started when President Ali served as Housing and Water Minister under the previous PPP/C Government. And when he assumed office as President in August 2020, he immediately instructed that works commence to complete the road project.
Some 18,000 residents will directly benefit from this project and in the future, many jobs will be created, the Head of State noted. The President stated that the Guyana Police Force along with the Housing Ministry will be working to set up another Police outpost along the road. Two are already in place.
The next phase, he added, is to add cameras to those outposts to monitor speed
“This area will be a reservoir for job creation also. We will have more than 300- 400 acres of land developed specifically for industrial development. We have commercial development and from the type of proposals that we’ve already received, you will have hundreds and hundreds, if not thousands of jobs created along the corridor of this road. So, this road, while it is permanent in nature, it is a stop-gap for what is coming,” President Ali said in his remarks.
The next link to the road is currently under construction and is expected to be completed next year with a $16 billion investment. Also, starting next year there will be a road link from Eccles on the East Bank of Demerara to Ogle on the East Coast of Demerara.
Minister of Housing and Water, Colin Croal; Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues; Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn and Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Public Affairs, Kwame McCoy were all present at the opening.
