HGP Nightly News – Former Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson is raising concerns about the quality and standard of some of the roads now being built in Guyana, arguing that several projects being presented as major highways are, in his words, “basically internal, large internal housing roads,” and are not being constructed to the level required for long-term performance.
Speaking exclusively to Nightly News, Patterson said the problem goes beyond traffic congestion and cuts directly to the quality of the infrastructure itself. In his view, some of the roads are already showing signs of failure because they were not backed by the right technical studies or engineering standards. Referring to the current approach, he said, “that’s why they’re failing immediately after they’re constructed.”
He argued that what is being built is often more about appearance than durability. Patterson claimed that in some cases, there were no proper geotechnical studies before construction began, and that this has contributed to early deterioration. “They just simply did no geotechnical studies,” he said, while suggesting that some roads were pushed through too quickly without the planning needed for long-term success.
Patterson contrasted that with roads built under the former administration, which he said have largely held up over time. He pointed to projects such as the East Coast Road, Sheriff-Mandela, and the road from Schoonord to Parika, arguing that those corridors are “still standing” and have required only routine maintenance. In his view, that difference comes down to planning, standards and execution.
While he acknowledged that road widening and access upgrades are “commendable,” Patterson maintained that this alone does not solve the country’s transport problems, especially if the roads themselves are not built to last. He warned that widening weak roads or poorly designed roads will not deliver lasting value and may simply create more expensive repairs down the line.
He also linked the quality issue to the broader absence of a traffic management plan. According to Patterson, roads are being built and widened without sufficient attention to where traffic is going, where bottlenecks remain, and how the network is supposed to function as a whole. In his view, this leaves Guyana with visible projects but not necessarily better movement or stronger infrastructure.
The former minister further argued that many widened roads lose part of their usefulness almost immediately because of how they are used. He said roadside vending, parked trucks, trailers and other obstructions often eat away at the extra space, meaning that even where roads are expanded, the intended benefit is quickly reduced.
Patterson’s overall message was that Guyana needs to pay closer attention to road quality, not just road quantity. He said infrastructure should be designed and built in a “planned, sustained manner,” and warned that without stronger studies and standards, the country risks spending heavily on roads that may look impressive at first but fail to stand the test of time.
