Min Edghill – Sheriff/Mandela Road project deadline extended to February, 2022

Public Works Minister, Bishop Juan Edghill said on Tuesday that the Sheriff/Mandela Road
project has received a two-month extension.
The project, which was scheduled to be completed by December 31 this year, has been extended
to February 14, 2022.  The public works minister Edghill assessed the ongoing works on
Tuesday, and pointed out that the project is substantially completed, with more than 95 per cent
of the works done. “We have agreed with Inter-American Development Bank which is financing
this programme as a result of COVID related delays. All of the other works apart of the 600
metres which will be paved within the next 48 hours or so, that everything else, the installation
of the lights, the signals, the guard rails and everything should and must be completed by
February 14, 2022,” Edghill said.
He discosed that the installation of street lights and requisite markings have already commenced.
“What remains to be done are the 325 lights that you just saw the installation is ongoing. That
will be moving apace in the next couple of weeks. We have the traffic signals; the poles are here
and we are waiting on the arrival of the actual lights. There will be some fine works in terms of
the guard rail. The poles for the vertical signs are here and we are waiting on the arrival of the
signs,” Edghill explained.
The minister slammed persons who are ridiculing the incomplete work without understanding
why the road is being marked the way it is said that regarding the road markings Edghill said that
there is need for an education campaign on the road markings, but noted the project is located in
an urban center where there are several turnoffs that give access to smaller streets. He revealed
that as part of the design, the markings on the road were put in place to ensure safety and ease
congestion. “Let me make it very clear in case people need to understand, looking nice is not our
number one priority when we build roads, peoples’ safety is our number one priority. Traffic
safety and the safety of citizens is our number one priority. So, even if people made a joke of the
line is not straight and its curve off, I can take that criticism because it is intended to ensure
safety and orderly movement of traffic” the Minister explained.
Edghill said that the delay in the completion of the project is beyond the control of the contractor
and government. “Getting ships out of China was one problem. The last problem we had is that
when we did get the ship out of China and it reached Panama, it had a problem so they had to
move containers from one ship to another to get it down here. That is arriving within a couple of
weeks, so we will be able to get some of the other components,” he said.
The minister added, “Those delays were not manufactured, they are not things people are using
as excuses, because in terms of management, we asked to see date of purchase, bill of laden to
show things were actually shipped, but they did face the real delays.” Edghill went on to disclose
that since his last site visit on October 30, access to 84 entrances to smaller roads were
completed, executed by Public Works Ministry. Additionally, the Minister said that for
Christmas, Guyanese will have a road to facilitate quicker and easier access.