—as extensive engineering works near advanced stages
WHAT were once swamp lands are now being transformed into a modern four-lane highway, as construction of the Buzz Bee Dam to Land of Canaan Road reaches advanced stages, President Dr. Irfaan Ali has said.
During a site visit with engineers and technical personnel on Tuesday, President Ali reminded that the project forms part of a broader East Bank Demerara (EBD) to East Coast Demerara (ECD) Road network, and is expected to serve as a crucial interconnecting link for national transportation and development.
“What you see here is the massive four-lane development that continues from Buzz Bee Dam. As you know, in the last term, we started from Mandela up to Buzz Bee Dam and then we have the interconnection from Buzz Bee Dam to the old highway at numerous locations. So, this is the continuation from Buzz Bee Dam and this will go all the way to Land of Canaan,” the President said.
The project will connect the Mandela Highway, Heroes Highway, Ogle Highway, the old East Bank highway, and future links to Soesdyke, Timehri, Linden–Soesdyke Highway, and the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.
Once completed, the roadway will provide a direct and efficient route between Georgetown, the East Coast, the East Bank and key inland areas.
According to President Ali, extensive engineering works have been undertaken to prepare the former swamp lands for construction.
These included the removal of soft materials, installation of vertical drainage systems, the use of geotextile fabric and successive layers of sand filling and compaction to stabilise the foundation.
In several areas, the road base has been raised by up to six feet to ensure long-term durability and safety.
“So this here is the first instalment, the first understanding as to the magnitude and scale of work that is that is being carried out you will see also in addition to the massive primary transmission lines you will see also secondary lines being put in place, and a lot of these secondary lines are already here to serve the new communities because of the massive expansion and speed of expansion in housing,” he said.
Significant drainage infrastructure is also being installed, with massive concrete structures constructed on both sides of the highway to maintain and enhance water flow from the conservancy to outfall channels. A total of 28 major drainage structures is being built to protect surrounding communities and ensure the integrity of the road during periods of heavy rainfall.
The project is divided into eight construction lots, all of which are now under active development.
Progress varies across the sections, with some lots already more than halfway complete. A large roundabout is also under construction at Buzz Bee Dam, which will serve as a central junction connecting multiple highways and future road links.
“So, this highway will take us, connect us directly into Georgetown from Mandela… it will be interconnected with the Aubrey Barker Road and then interconnected with the Ogle four-lane highway going on the east coast connected to the additional four-lane going on the old railway embankment on the east coast then also interconnected with the Heroes Highway,” he said.
The President noted too that utility infrastructure is being integrated alongside the highway, including primary and secondary power transmission lines to support expanding housing schemes and new communities.
The road network is expected to play a critical role in addressing the housing backlog in Region Four by opening up access to thousands of residential lots along the East Bank and Linden–Soesdyke corridors.
“So outside of that, we have a development, about five other major developments on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway that will see about close to 2,500 homes and all of those persons will have to move… the transportation link is important so all of those communities will be connected also to this old highway,” he said.
