Former Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, has called out the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government for its failure to meet critical infrastructure deadlines, specifically the completion of several major projects slated for 2024. Speaking at an Alliance For Change (AFC) press conference last Friday, Patterson highlighted multiple key projects that were promised to be finished by the end of 2024, but now appear to be significantly delayed or at risk of missing deadlines.
Among the projects discussed, Patterson pointed to the new Demerara River Bridge, which had originally been scheduled for completion by December 31, 2024. However, following multiple revisions, the deadline has now been pushed back to March 31, 2024, and more recently, to August 31, 2025. Patterson described the new August 2025 deadline as “impossible,” pointing to the government’s continued inability to keep up with the expected pace of construction.
Patterson also drew attention to other critical infrastructure projects that the PPP government has failed to deliver. These include:
- Gas-to-Shore Project – Initially promised to be completed by December 2024, the government has yet to provide a clear timeline for its completion. Patterson questioned whether the project will ever be finished given the government’s history of missed deadlines.
- Linden-Lethem Road – This project, designed and tendered under the a A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) in 2020, has still not been completed, despite being “left on a platter” for the PPP government. Four years later, the road remains unfinished, delaying the economic benefits it could bring to the region.
- East Bank Road Expansion – The expansion of the East Bank road has been delayed time and again. This project, critical to improving the flow of traffic between Georgetown and the rest of the country, remains incomplete, with no realistic timeline for its finalisation.
- Embankment Expansion Road – Another vital infrastructure project that was supposed to be completed by 2024. Patterson criticised the government’s lack of progress on this road, which is crucial to flood control and improving transportation in the region.
- Palmyra Airport – Despite promises of a new airport at Palmyra, there has been little to no progress on this project. Patterson noted that this is another example of the PPP government’s failure to deliver on its promises to modernise and improve the country’s infrastructure.
- Palmyra Stadium – Similar to the airport, the Palmyra Stadium project remains stalled. The PPP government’s inability to follow through on such projects is symptomatic of its broader failure to address the infrastructural needs of the country.
- New McKenzie-Wismar Bridge – The new Wismar Bridge, which is meant to improve transportation and accessibility in the region and connecting areas, is another project that failed to meet its 2024 deadline. Last week the government said 31 per cent of the project is complete.
Patterson, who was infrastructure (public works) minister in the APNU+AFC government, pointed out that these are just a few examples of the many infrastructure projects under the PPP government that are either delayed or unfinished. He emphasized that the government’s inability to meet these deadlines, despite having years to plan and execute, has had a detrimental impact on Guyana’s development.
The PPP has had more than enough time to deliver on these projects, Patterson said. “The Linden-Lethem Road, for example, was tendered and ready for execution in 2020. Four years later, it’s still unfinished. The fact that the PPP can’t complete these projects on time shows their incompetence and mismanagement of the country’s resources.”
He argued that the government’s repeated delays and shifting deadlines reveal a lack of seriousness in addressing the country’s pressing development challenges Patterson’s remarks are a direct challenge to the government’s narrative that Guyana is progressing rapidly.