Georgetown: The Sheriff Street/Mandela Avenue area is being surveyed in preparation for massive expansion works to be conducted by Sinohydro Corporation Limited.
Work Services Group (WSG), Coordinator, Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Geoffrey Vaughn explained that these measures will set the pace for the infrastructural works which are expected to commence before the end of the first quarter this year.
“Sinohydro is mobilising, as we speak. Surveying works are being done and this is basically to stake out the area in terms of width and centre lines etc. So we’re doing the preliminaries before we go into the actual works,” Vaughn told the Department of Public Information (DPI).
The contract for the Sheriff/Mandela Avenue road project was awarded to Sinohydro Corporation Limited in November and signed in December 2017. The project will cost US$31M, which is being provided by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
Vaughn indicated that the removal of utilities, before the construction begins, is critical to ensuring that the project is completed on time.
“So, we’re hoping that we can engage the Guyana Telephone Telegraph (GTT) and Guyana Power and Light (GPL) to have their utilities removed. We know we have contracts already with GPL and we’re trying to finalise the one with GTT. Once that is done we will have them onboard; with GTT we know we will have some chambers that will have to raise, which may be on the corridor itself.”
According to the WSG Coordinator, one critical factor that will be taken into consideration during execution of the project is proper traffic management. He disclosed that in order to ensure there is less disruption of traffic during construction, the contractor is expected to have prepared an appropriate traffic management document which will be shared with the Ministry.
“We will have to look for all the alternatives that will come out in terms of people having to use the corridor to execute business,” Vaughn stated.
The existing carriageway will be upgraded and resurfaced from the northern end of Sheriff Street through to Homestretch Avenue. From that point to the Mandela Avenue-Hunter Street junction there will be four lanes of traffic.
The completed roadway will also be outfitted with the requisite road safety amenities including sidewalks, bicycle lanes and “hopefully” adequate parking spaces. Bridges will also be upgraded. In the vicinity of East Ruimveldt and North Ruimveldt Secondary Schools, there will be a pedestrian overpass.
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