By LCN Business Desk
The four-lane highway from Buzz Bee Dam at Craig to Land of Canaan on the East Bank of Demerara is about half built, the Ministry of Housing and Water said after Minister Collin Croal and engineers inspected all eight construction lots on Tuesday, 15 September, Kaieteur News reported. Road works are expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2027, the Department of Public Information reported.
The section runs for about 11.3 kilometres, according to the ministry's update carried by Guyana Times. The National Procurement and Tender Administration Board awarded its eight contracts in December 2024 for a combined G$52.56 billion, Kaieteur News reported, making it the most expensive phase so far of the new East Bank highway that begins at Mandela Avenue.
What is being built between Craig and Land of Canaan?
A four-lane highway with medians, safety features, margin sealing and pull-off lanes, connecting at Craig to the Great Diamond to Craig section, which links to Heroes Highway, Guyana Times reported. Land of Canaan will be the main exit point for this phase, and the ministry is examining an alignment to extend the road towards Soesdyke, Kaieteur News reported.
Much of the route crosses swamp. Contractors excavated up to five to six feet of swamp material in some areas before rebuilding the foundation, President Irfaan Ali said on a site visit in January, News Room reported. The corridor needs large volumes of sand fill and time for the fill to settle before the next stage of work, and the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority has approved the drainage plans, the Department of Public Information reported. "Some of it cannot be rushed, you have to wait on time," Croal said.
The two accounts of the inspection differ on bridges. The Department of Public Information reported that the project includes several bridges, including one with a 300-foot span, and that the design of the major bridge at Land of Canaan has been approved. Kaieteur News reported the ministry as saying that several major bridges required along the corridor "will be constructed under a separate project".
Who is building the highway, and for how much?
Forty-seven contractors bid in June 2024, and the engineer's estimate announced at the bid opening was G$49.55 billion, Kaieteur News reported. The eight contracts were awarded in December 2024 for a total of G$52.56 billion, about G$3 billion or 6 per cent above that estimate. Across 11.3 kilometres, the awarded sum works out to about G$4.65 billion a kilometre. The Department of Public Information described the project as forming part of approximately G$52 billion being invested in the road network under the Ministry of Housing.
| Lot | Contractor | Award (G$) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ashoka Buildcon Ltd | 5,546,817,641 |
| 2 | H. Nauth & Sons | 6,384,420,210 |
| 3 | R. Bassoo & Sons and Qingjian Group Co. Guyana Inc. | 7,699,717,043 |
| 4 | S. Jagmohan Construction & General Supplies and VALS Construction | 8,198,675,835 |
| 5 | Aronco Services Inc. and Build Smart Construction & Supplies | 6,325,080,011 |
| 6 | China Railway First Group Guyana Inc. | 4,464,086,736 |
| 7 | ProBuild Hardware & Construction Inc. | 5,676,911,709 |
| 8 | KP Thomas & Sons Construction Inc. and Constructora Soma | 8,262,131,511 |
| Total | 52,557,840,696 |
Contract awards as reported by Kaieteur News; total calculated by La Caribeña News.
When was the highway meant to be finished?
The ministry's April 2024 invitation for bids set a construction period of 18 months per lot, Kaieteur News reported. The contracts were awarded that December. In July 2025 the President said the Buzz Bee Dam to Land of Canaan connection would be completed "sometime to the end of next year", iNews Guyana reported. The ministry's current target is the first quarter of 2027.
Work on Lots Two and Three started later than on the others, partly because of relocation exercises involving both legitimate landowners and illegal occupants of land within the road alignment, and the ministry plans to meet all eight contractors to accelerate construction, Kaieteur News reported.
How does this phase fit the new East Bank highway?
It is the fourth phase of a corridor that began with the G$2.6 billion Mandela Avenue to Eccles road, commissioned in April 2022, Kaieteur News reported. The second phase, Eccles to Great Diamond, was contracted in December 2021 for G$13.3 billion across 12 lots, with more than 30 reinforced concrete bridges, two roundabouts and 9.4 kilometres of reinforced concrete road, according to the Ministry of Housing and Water. It opened in December 2023 as Heroes Highway, named for five Guyana Defence Force ranks killed in a helicopter crash that month, News Room reported.
The third phase, Great Diamond to Buzz Bee Dam, opened on 25 August 2025. Its five lots were valued at G$10.13 billion, with a further G$148.8 million spent on street lighting, according to project documentation reported by Stabroek News; the Department of Public Information described it as an G$11 billion highway. Together, the four phases' contract values come to about G$78.6 billion.
The design of a road from Land of Canaan to the Soesdyke to Linden Highway has been completed, and the government plans to link the Craig to Land of Canaan highway to the Ogle highway, Guyana Times reported.
How much is Guyana spending on roads this year?
The government spent G$64.5 billion on roads and bridges in the first half of 2026, G$60.7 billion on roads and G$3.8 billion on bridges, according to the Ministry of Finance's Mid-Year Report. Budget 2026 allocated G$196.1 billion for roads and bridges, including G$28.6 billion to continue the highway from Buzz Bee Dam to Land of Canaan, Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh told the National Assembly in January, News Room reported, a total La Caribeña News also reported in June. Works on the main East Bank public road from Good Success to Timehri have caused long daily delays for commuters, and the President apologised for the congestion in July 2025, Guyana Times reported.
Public Works Minister Juan Edghill has argued that Guyana measures its roads by the hours they save, La Caribeña News reported from the International Road Federation's Caribbean congress in Georgetown in July, where the federation's chairman urged Guyana to maintain what it builds.
What the title card shows
- Craig to Land of Canaan: about 11.3 km (Guyana Times); eight lots; G$52.56 billion awarded December 2024 (Kaieteur News); about 50 per cent complete; target first quarter of 2027 (Kaieteur News, DPI).
- Engineer's estimate: G$49.55 billion at the June 2024 bid opening; 18 months per lot in the April 2024 invitation for bids (Kaieteur News, Kaieteur News).
- Earlier phases: Mandela Avenue to Eccles, G$2.6 billion, opened April 2022 (Kaieteur News); Eccles to Great Diamond, G$13.3 billion, opened December 2023 (Ministry of Housing and Water, News Room); Great Diamond to Buzz Bee Dam, G$10.1 billion, opened August 2025 (Stabroek News).
- Budget 2026: G$28.6 billion to continue the highway from Buzz Bee Dam to Land of Canaan (News Room).
- Land of Canaan to Soesdyke: design of the road to the Soesdyke-Linden Highway completed (Guyana Times).
- Quotation: "Some of it cannot be rushed, you have to wait on time", Housing Minister Collin Croal, 15 September 2026 (DPI).
Frequently Asked Questions
When will the Craig to Land of Canaan highway be finished?
The Ministry of Housing and Water is targeting the end of the first quarter of 2027 for the road works, the Department of Public Information reported. The project was about 50 per cent complete in mid-September 2026.
How much does the Craig to Land of Canaan highway cost?
The eight construction contracts awarded in December 2024 total G$52.56 billion, Kaieteur News reported. The engineer's estimate at the bid opening was G$49.55 billion.
How long is the new road?
About 11.3 kilometres from Buzz Bee Dam at Craig to Land of Canaan, according to the ministry's update carried by Guyana Times.
Will the highway go beyond Land of Canaan?
The design of a road from Land of Canaan to the Soesdyke to Linden Highway has been completed, Guyana Times reported, and the President said in August 2025 that the highway would be extended to Soesdyke.
The ministry is due to meet all eight contractors as the target moves into the first quarter of 2027, three months past the President's end-of-2026 estimate.