HGP NIGHTLY NEWS: Another major road project has been wrested from a struggling contractor, as the Government moves to salvage the delayed $270.5 million Back Street rehabilitation at the Diamond Housing Scheme on the East Bank of Demerara.
Public Works Minister Juan Edghill confirmed during an on-site inspection that the contractor responsible for the project has been terminated after failing to deliver the works on schedule, leaving residents to endure prolonged disruption and unfinished infrastructure. With the project missing its July 2025 deadline and sitting at just 55 per cent completion, the Ministry has now assumed direct control through its Special Projects Unit.
The project, formally listed as Lot 21: Rehabilitation and Construction of Back Street, Diamond Housing Scheme, was awarded to CB General Contracting Services Inc and began on November 18, 2024. It was slated for completion within seven months. However, despite receiving an advance payment of $81.1 million and a total of $138.6 million already expended, progress lagged far behind expectations.
According to official records, the scope of works includes the construction of a two-lane asphaltic concrete roadway, concrete drainage systems, covered walkways, and designated parking lanes along a 560-metre stretch measuring 12 metres wide. While roughly 80 per cent of the concrete drains have been installed, key components such as drain covers and pedestrian walkways remain incomplete, leaving sections of the road exposed and inconvenient for residents.
Compounding the delays are unresolved utility relocations involving Guyana Power and Light and Guyana Water Incorporated, which are still ongoing and have further slowed overall progress.
Minister Edghill said the takeover was necessary to bring order to a project that had stalled well beyond acceptable limits. The Ministry’s Special Projects Unit has now been tasked with stabilising the worksite, coordinating outstanding utility adjustments, and pushing the project toward completion in a manner that restores confidence and improves daily conditions for residents.
The intervention mirrors recent government action on other delayed road projects and underscores a growing pattern of tighter oversight and direct intervention where contractors fail to meet performance standards. Officials say the priority is to minimise further inconvenience, ensure value for public money, and deliver infrastructure that meets design and safety expectations.
Once completed, the upgraded Back Street is expected to significantly improve drainage, traffic flow, pedestrian access, and parking within the Diamond Housing Scheme, ending months of disruption for residents who have long awaited the project’s completion.
