Thursday, February 7, 2008

City Mayor applauds Brazil/Guyana road link

City Mayor applauds Brazil/Guyana road link

Kaieteur News, 26 January 2008

City Mayor Hamilton Green has applauded efforts by the government to
link Guyana and Brazil, this country's southern Portuguese-speaking
neighbour, via a road network.
“The government must be congratulated for advancing an initiative to
make the road a reality and so fulfill the dreams an
d aspirations of several generations of Guyanese,” the Mayor said in a
release yesterday.
He said that the idea of a road link to Brazil passing through one of
Guyana's ports has been toyed with for many years.
According to Green, the idea was born out of American carmaker Henry
Ford's dream of a road network linking North and South America.
Ford's notion to link the states was propelled by his desire to sell
many more cars if such a highway was constructed.
“We were told at that time that the British Government did not share
that enthusiasm and the project apparently foundered,” Mayor Green
recalled.
He noted, however, that the dream never faded and the 1970 Self Help
Hinterland Road Project, which attracted students from the Caribbean,
the National Service and elsewhere, attempted to bring it to reality.
Mayor Green recollected that after that effort, the European Union
supported the road to Brazil through Kurupupari and in 1961, two
possible routes were identified.
One of the proposed routes was through Mahdia using the Parika/Bartica
coastal link and the Linden/Mahdia route via Bartica and through the
Potaro Road.
Since then, Guyana has had the Transport Sector Road Report (1960-97)
which anticipated the modern highway through Lethem.
In 1989, there was the Tecnecon Report.
Later after surveys were done, two overland trips were made by Chief
Works Officer Phillip Allsop and J. Henry Thomas (Minister of Economics
Development).
“As we seek to realise what must be the expectation of every Guyanese
patriot, I hope that the Ministry of Information would prepare a
document giving a faithful resume of earlier efforts to this grand
idea,” the Mayor stated.
He recommended that road engineers of that era be consulted to prepare
a proper dossier not only for posterity but also that young people will
traverse the route with pride.
Mayor Green said although Guyana appreciates the financial assistance
of the international lending agencies for feasibility studies, enough
information and wisdom exist to hasten the consultancy process.
“This is so that funds available are directed more to the actual
construction of this road which will open up more our vast potential
for the development of Guyana,” Mayor Green suggested.

No comments: