Zeelugt New Housing Scheme, a rapidly developing community which has
seen an increase in occupancy is benefitting from the construction of
a second egress and an ingress at a cost of $22M by the Government,
through the Regional Administration of Essequibo Islands-West Demerara
(Region Three).
The construction includes a heavy-duty bridge with reinforced concrete
abutments, steel beams and decking, timber revetment and asphaltic
concrete approaches which cost $14M. The remaining $8M covered a road
which involved heavy land clearing, landfilling to shoulders, white
sand and white sand/sand-clay sub bases, crusher run and an asphaltic
concrete surface. Also included in the work is a heavy duty
polyethylene culvert and reinforced concrete (RC) headwall.
Speaking to the Department of Public Information (DPI), Shonrick
Zepher, a driver living in Phase 1 Zeelugt, New Scheme said, “This is
tremendous progress for the people of Zeelugt. Anyone that complains
about this infrastructural improvement is a pessimist to development.
I have lived in this scheme for just over six years and never thought
this would happen and here now I can drive on asphalt road and cross a
big trench easily and reach my home comfortably.”
Randolph Lee Bhanpersaud, another resident from Phase 2 said that it
is easier now to get in and out of the community since the new
development.
“No longer do we have to have congestion at the one main entrance and
exit. We have two now and that is development indeed in our community.
This bridge and road not only benefit us directly by making egress and
ingress easier but it also creates an environment for greater economic
development in our community simply because there will be an increase
of traffic flow at this end of the scheme, allowing people the
opportunity to open more businesses and the likes. I must thank the
region for this visionary thinking,” Banpersaud said.
Regional Executive Officer Denis Jaikaran noted the project was
necessary and came at the request of the residents following a
community outreach with Minister of State Joseph Harmon and residents
of the community. Jaikaran further stated that secondary roads in the
area will soon see much-needed improvements.
