Georgetown: Feasibility studies will be launched in 2018, for the first phase of the Linden-Lethem road covering the section extending from Linden to Mabura Hill. This is according to Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan during his presentation of the 2018 Budget to the National Assemble today.
The minister noted that this intervention will improve access to hinterland communities and northern Brazil while opening new economic opportunities along the corridor.
External funding is available to scope out and develop key social and economic opportunities for residents along the corridor, he added.
“The development of the Georgetown-Lethem gateway requires careful assessment and due diligence…the use of these funds are specifically targeted to establishing the groundwork to map out and implement complementary social and economic development initiatives around the project and to assist in financing the implementation of selected strategic small scaled economic activities,” Minister Jordan highlighted.
In the first phase, from Wisrock to the Rockstone junction corridor will be paved, then continued from Rockstone to Mabura Hill. Similar studies will be conducted on the Linden/Soesdyke Highway and the Linden-Ituni-Kwakwani corridor.
The Finance Minister noted that the improvement to these corridors will provide significant entry to the Intermediate Savannahs and create access to the upper reaches of the Berbice River, thereby enhancing the agricultural potential of Kwakwani, Ebini and Kimbia.
A feasibility study and design will also be undertaken for a bridge across the Kurupukari.
Further, a total of $1.5B has been allocated for road upgrades on several key roadways in the hinterland aimed at providing easy travel and transportation access between and among hinterland communities, as well as facilitating gold miners, and loggers.
These include the Port Kaituma’s/Matthews Ridge/Baramita corridor, internal roads in Mahdia and the Bartica-Potaro stretch of road.
