The Board of Directors of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has approved a grant of GBP830,000 to the Government of Guyana, to fund a feasibility study for road rehabilitation between Linden and Mabura Hills, along with plans for a new river crossing at Kurupukari.

“The Georgetown to Linden route is considered the critical north-south link between the hinterland and the coastal belt, enhancing access to the seaport at Georgetown and the port of Linden. This road is considered a priority project, as it can provide the shortest land access to the Atlantic for freight to and from Brazil, creating opportunities for enhanced trade. Upgrading the Linden to Mabura Hills road is the first phase of a project being done by the Government of Guyana, which seeks to rehabilitate the full route, providing critical linkages between communities in the hinterlands and those on the coast,” said Andrew Dupigny, Head of Infrastructure Partnerships at CDB.

Persons currently travelling along the Linden to Lethem section of the road must depend on a privately owned ferry to cross the Essequibo River at Kurupukari. The ferry operates irregularly, meaning that road users do not have a reliable method of crossing the river. The project will also provide designs for a crossing which will close this gap in the road between Georgetown and Lethem.

The study will be undertaken through support from the United Kingdom Caribbean Infrastructure Partnership Fund (UKCIF), which is administered by CDB. UKCIF provides grant financing to eight Caribbean countries eligible for Overseas Development Assistance, and UK Overseas Territory, Montserrat.

This project is consistent with CDB’s strategic objective of supporting inclusive and sustainable growth and development, as well as CDB’s corporate priority of strengthening and modernising social and economic infrastructure.