Dirt road seen as economic lifeline

THROUGH the vast interior of Guyana, a historic red dirt road known as “The Trail” winds through rainforest, plains and hills, linking the capital Georgetown to Lethem in the south on the border with Brazil.

- 

Now, that nearly 500km link is being upgraded into a major highway, and authorities in the South American country - which possesses the world’s largest oil reserves per capita - hope the project will help transform its economy.

They also hope it can help open up Essequibo, the disputed oil-rich region administered by Guyana for decades but claimed by neighbouring Venezuela.

The renovation is no small undertaking for Guyana, which goes to the polls to elect new leaders today. It will cost almost $1 billion to build the four sections of highway and about 50 bridges. The most optimistic completion date is 2030.

So for the time being, truckers and others tackle The Trail, also called the Linden-Lethem road, as it is.

It takes 15 hours to make the journey end to end, and some don't succeed. One rusty truck appears to have been abandoned on the side of the road for some time.