The Government has issued an order to acquire land needed for the new US$260 million Demerara River bridge, which will stretch from Nandy Park, East Bank Demerara (EBD) to La Grange on the West Bank of Demerara (WBD).
According to the gazette dated April 4, 2024 and signed by Public Works Minister Juan Edghill, an order to acquire land for public purposes was issued on February 10, 2024. That order is intended to make land between Peters Hall and Providence available for the Government to build connecting roads for the new Demerara River Crossing.
It was explained that the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys, together with his “agents, servants or workmen” have already been authorised to enter unto the land and survey it. A report and plan encompassing the buildings and other erections has already been submitted to the Minister.
The land being acquired was listed as parcels 47 to 57, lots 80 to 88 and a portion of Block U and Mudlot E. Meanwhile, the order is legally listed as the Acquisition of Lands for Public Purposes (New Demerara River Crossing and Connecting Road) (No. 2) Order 2024.
On the cards for decades, the new Demerara River bridge will replace the ageing floating Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB), which has outlived its lifespan by several decades. At 1.25 miles (2.01 kilometres), 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.
Specifically, it will provide better connectivity to the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) road, the Diamond-to-Ogle bypass road on the eastern side of the river, as well as the West Bank of Demerara (WBD) roads, including the Parika-to-Schoonord road on the western side of the river.
The US$260 million contract for the bridge was awarded to the joint venture of China Railway Construction Corporation (International) Limited; China Railway Construction (Caribbean) Co Ltd and China Railway Construction Bridge Engineering Bureau Group Co Ltd.
The contractors are part of a joint venture led by China Railway and Construction Corporation Limited to construct the new bridge, which will land aback Nandy Park and at La Grange.
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 prequalified 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 will also have a lifespan of about 100 years.
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, uninterrupted flow of vessels. The river will be dredged along a 13.5-kilometre stretch to accommodate large vessels.
Back in February 2023, Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal had met with residents of Peters 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 last year’s budget to advance works on the new Demerara River bridge, Public Works Minister Edghill had revealed in 2023 that all the persons who were residing along the pathway of this massive infrastructural development have agreed to relocate without any resistance.
The new bridge is a critical component of the Government’s drive to expand and modernise Guyana’s transport infrastructure and will address the challenges faced by users of the current bridge by providing safe, efficient, and effective crossing.
Upon completion, the traffic woes will be addressed significantly. It also births other economic opportunities for Regions Three and Four, including agricultural development, tourism, construction, housing and commerce.
