The Guyana government says it has concluded the financing agreement for the construction of the US$260 million New Demerara River bridge.
“In the wee hours this morning, we concluded the financing agreement so very soon Guyanese will see work moving apace. You will be seeing this happening, modernization taking place and all the rest of it. We got to continue to bring development and progress to Guyana,” Public Works Minister, Bishop Juan Edghill, said as he announced the agreement without further elaboration.
The Public Works Ministry signed a $52 billion (US$260 million) contract for the construction of the new Demerara River Bridge on May 25 last year with the government indicating then that the project forms part of its plans to expand and modernize the country’s transport infrastructure and significantly reduce the incessant traffic woes on the East Bank of Demerara.
The project was awarded to China Railway Construction Corporation Limited. It is expected to commence immediately and be completed within two years.
The authorities said the hybrid-designed bridge will feature a modern four-lane structure, a cycle lane, with a 2.65 kilometers length, a driving surface of about 23.6 meters or 77.8 feet, with a lifespan of some 100 years.
They said the new crossing will replace the current bridge, which has already outlived its span by more than 40 years.
“With its mechanical and other issues, the current structure causes hundreds of millions of dollars in repairs each year. The new bridge will provide better connectivity to the East Bank Demerara (EBD) road, the Diamond-to-Ogle bypass road on the eastern side of the river, as well as the West Bank Demerara Road including the Parika-to-Schoonord road on the western side of the river,” according to a government statement.
CMC/
