Amendments to be made to tender for Corentyne bridge – Edghil

…contractor will design, build, finance, operate & maintain bridge

The Request For Proposals (RFP) tenders that the Government had sent out for the construction of the Corentyne bridge will have to be amended following recent bilateral talks between Guyana and Suriname.
During a recent sit-down with the media, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill spoke of the changes that would be made to the model for constructing the bridge. According to Edghill, the changes were born out of discussions when Surinamese President Chan Santokhi visited Guyana in August and met President Dr Irfaan Ali.
“It was high on the agenda when the two Presidents met when President Santokhi visited Guyana. There were eight firms shortlisted to carry out feasibility studies and designs. Following the recent bilateral summits between the two Presidents, a decision was taken to procure the Corentyne bridge as a Design Build Finance Operate Maintain [DBFOM ] option,” Edghill explained.
“It means that some amendments will have to be made to the RFP that went out to the various firms. And we are looking at having the DBF1 contract advertised soon and we want this to be ready in terms of proposals coming in by the third quarter of 2022,” he said.
Minister Edghill explained that the bridge would be 1.17 kilometres from Guyana to Long Island, Suriname while a 2.5-kilometre bridge will stretch from Long Island to South Drain in Suriname.
“So, it’s an extensive project. There are some adjustments. We’re coming out of the last summit. We’re going for a DBFOM model. And that adjustment is being made. Active discussions are taking place and we’re going to have a final meeting to ratify our approach,” Edghill also said.
In October 2020, Edghill and his Surinamese counterpart, Dr Riad Nurmohamed had visited the site of the proposed Guyana-Suriname river bridge across the Corentyne River. There were three points of demarcation identified – Moleson Creek, Long Island in the Corentyne River and South Drain in Suriname. Both Ministers planted flags on the Guyana side of the river and then the Suriname side of the river – where the bridge is to be constructed.

After planting national flags of the two countries, Nurmohamed, Edghill and the team of engineers and technical personnel stopped at Long Island in the Corentyne River and also planted flags of the two countries there.
Then in November 2020, Guyana and Suriname signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of the bridge. The MoU was signed by Guyana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Hugh Todd, and his Surinamese counterpart, Albert Ramdin, at the Presidential Palace in Paramaribo.
In February 2021, the Governments of Guyana and Suriname had invited companies to submit Expressions of Interest (EoIs) to provide consultancy services for the conduct of a feasibility study and the preparation of detailed designs for the construction of the bridge.
The Corentyne River bridge will not only link the two neighbouring countries, but also open up access to greater economic opportunities beyond them into French Guiana, and through the road network being developed into Brazil, and eventually further into South America.
Reports indicate that the Corentyne River bridge is expected to be a flat bridge from Guyana to Long Island in the Corentyne River and then a high-span bridge from there to the Surinamese mainland to allow for heavy marine traffic. This bridge is expected to promote the safe movement of people and products.
Moreover, it is anticipated that Long Island will become an economic hub and free zone that will also see major infrastructural development such as hotels, recreational parks, entertainment spots, tourist attractions, malls, and farmers’ markets.
With the commitment to bridge Guyana and Suriname over the Corentyne River within five years, this project is expected to open up the pathway for other major developmental projects including the much-anticipated deep-water harbour project in Guyana. (G3)