Construction has started on the landmark new Demerara River Bridge that will link the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) and the West Bank of Demerara (WBD); and once completed within the two years’ timeline previously quoted by the Government, it will alleviate traffic woes often felt by West Side and East Bank commuters.
This was made known by the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), which announced in a notice that an exclusive work zone has been set up as construction activities started on Tuesday, May 16, 2023.
“As a result, an exclusive zone is being effected, with two transit sections for vessels in the vicinity of the retractor and high spans of the existing Demerara Harbour Bridge,” MARAD said in the notice.
“Construction activities will be conducted south of the Demerara Harbour Bridge, in the vicinity of the West Bank to East Bank of the Demerara River…the exclusive work area will be piled off and bounded…” MARAD further announced, urging mariners to navigate with “extreme caution” when in the vicinity.
Back in February, Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal had met with residents of Peter’s Hall on the EBD to begin the process of relocating 20 structures in the path of the alignment.
With $5.2 billion set aside in this year’s budget to advance works on the new Demerara River Bridge, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill had revealed earlier this year that all the persons who were residing along the pathway of this massive infrastructural development have agreed to relocate without any resistance.
In January, Mohamed’s Enterprise had announced that it had gifted the Government its US$3 million prime waterfront property at Providence, EBD to facilitate the construction of the new Demerara River crossing.
A US$260 million contract was signed in May 2022 with a joint venture led by China Railway and Construction Corporation Limited to construct the new bridge, which will land aback Nandy Park on the East Bank of Demerara and at La Grange, West Bank Demerara.
Back in 2022, $21.1 billion was allocated towards work on the bridge. The China Railway and Construction Corporation (International) Limited-led joint venture outbid four other pre-qualified international companies that submitted proposals for the project. In the months prior to the contract being awarded, the Guyana Government, through a team of specialists – legal and engineering – was in negotiations with the Chinese company to finalise the terms of the contract.
The new bridge will be a fixed 2.65-kilometre, four-lane, high-span, cable-stayed structure across the Demerara River, with the width of the driving surface being about 23.6 metres. The bridge, which features a bicycle lane, will bring an end to closures to vehicular traffic with a 50-metre fixed-high span to cater for the free flow of vessels uninterrupted. The river will be dredged along a 13.5-kilometre stretch to accommodate large vessels.
This new bridge will replace the ageing floating Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB), which has outlived its lifespan by several decades. At 1.25 miles (2.01km), the current Demerara Harbour Bridge is a strategic link between the East and West Banks of Demerara, facilitating the daily movement of thousands of vehicles, people, and cargo.
