Smoother travel for Karaudarnau residents

Travel to the Amerindian village of Karaudarnau, Region Nine, has significantly and visibly improved with the completion of a $185 million internal road project.

The transformation of the village’s internal road from laterite to asphalt has eased access for the 1,092 persons who live there and visitors.

The new road stretches 1,500 metres in length and 6.1 metres in width, providing a more reliable link to essential services.

The project, executed by Beerdat Harrinandan Construction, also aimed to eliminate the longstanding issue of dust, which had posed health concerns and disrupted daily life during the dry season. More importantly, residents now enjoy better access to schools, healthcare centres and markets, with reduced travel time and lower transport costs.

In addition, these improvements are expected to boost agriculture and trade by making it easier to move goods in and out of the village, which is located approximately 130 miles from Lethem. According to a statement by the Karaudarnau Village Council, the new road, which runs through the heart of the village, has been a real “blessing”.

The statement read: “It’s made a huge difference in our daily lives, especially for our children. The dust is gone, and it’s so much easier for them to get to school safely. We’re really excited about the future and hope to see more roads like this built in our area. Thanks to the Government of Guyana.”

Karaudarnau is among several hinterland communities benefiting from internal road upgrades as part of a wider government hinterland infrastructure development initiative.

Villages such as Nappi, Shulinab and Awarewaunau are also seeing their internal roads converted from laterite to asphaltic concrete.

These upgrades form part of an $800 million investment targeting hinterland infrastructure, with residents playing a key role in identifying the most impactful locations for construction.

Continuing its effort to improve connectivity in the hinterland, the government allocated some $9 billion for hinterland road developments this year. (DPI)