HGP Nightly News – Contractors building bridges across five regions have been put on notice: no barefoot-style construction, no abandoned work sites and no excuses for leaving communities stranded behind dismantled bridges.
Public Works Minister Juan Edghill issued the warning during a meeting with contractors recently awarded bridge projects across Regions Two to Six.
The meeting, held at the ministry’s boardroom, also included senior engineers Sherod Parkinson and Colin Gittens.
According to the ministry, the successful contractors were selected from a field of more than 600 bidders. It did not disclose how many contracts were awarded, which companies were selected or the projects’ combined value.
Edghill said the contractors must work closely with the ministry’s supervising engineers to ensure the bridges are completed safely and within their contractual deadlines.
“We will hold your hands and show you the ropes as you execute the work,” the minister said.
He warned that poor relations between contractors and supervisors could cause avoidable disputes and delays during construction.
“Supervisor-contractor relations ought to and have to be good because we don’t want issues arising during the construction phase because of poor relations between you, our partners, and our engineers,” Edghill explained.
Gittens reminded the contractors that they would bear responsibility for their work sites, the structures under construction and the surrounding areas.
“You are responsible for that structure and everything around it,” he said. “Safety is not optional.”
Contractors were also encouraged to communicate with residents and minimise disruptions in the communities where the bridges will be constructed.
Edghill expressed particular concern about workers operating without personal protective equipment.
He said labourers should not be permitted to mix cement in slippers or undertake construction work without suitable safety gear.
“Our Guyanese seem to have an aversion to safety, so please ensure you enforce safety on your sites,” the minister said.
“I don’t want to show up at any one of your projects and see any worker without their safety gear.”
The contractors were also instructed not to dismantle existing bridges until the materials needed to complete the replacement structures had arrived at the respective sites.
Edghill said communities must not be left inconvenienced for months because contractors started work before obtaining the necessary supplies.
“We don’t want complaints of contractors opening the bridges, driving only two piles and then parking their machinery for months,” he warned. “That will not be accepted at all.”
The minister said unresolved disagreements with supervising engineers could be referred to his office if they remained unsettled for more than two weeks.
However, the ministry did not outline the contractual penalties contractors could face for missed deadlines, prolonged abandonment or breaches of workplace-safety requirements.
Site visits are expected to take place over the coming days, after which construction will begin.
The ministry has not yet published a complete list of the bridge locations, contractors, contract sums or completion deadlines—information residents would need to independently track whether the warning against delays is being enforced.
