Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson has said works will commence soon on the construction of a new single or dual lane fixed bridge – approximately 600 meters long – at the Kurupukari ferry crossing Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), on year after it was announced that it will be bridged.
Currently persons travelling the Linden/Lethem trail have to cross the Essequibo River, at Kurupukari, by a privately-operated pontoon service.
Kurupukari Village is located along the Lethem–Georgetown trail, about five hours from Lethem.
In February of 2017, the Public Infrastructure Ministry had said it was gearing up to commence construction on the first phase of the Linden-Lethem Road project, which will be funded through the United Kingdom Government under its UK Caribbean Infrastructure Partnership Fund (UKCIF) programme.
In September 2015, former UK Prime Minister David Cameron announced a £300 million investment in vital new infrastructure such as roads, bridges and ports to help drive economic growth and development across the Caribbean region. Guyana was named among nine Caribbean states to benefit from the grant.
The first phase of the project, which spans from Linden to Mabura, covers approximately 122.5 kilometres of road and the construction of the bridge across the Essequibo River at Kurupukari.
