Construction to start on 4-lane Wismar bridge before year end – VP

Construction of the Wismar-Mackenzie bridge across the Demerara River, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) will commence before the end of the year. It is an essential linkage as Government builds out the Linden-to-Lethem Road.
This was announced by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo at Thursday’s press conference.
Having received three offers which were deemed competitive, Government is ready to get the ball rolling on the four-lane bridge. The project is estimated to cost about US$35 million.
“We’re at a stage where we’re ready to start negotiations. We have received three offers and when the details emerge, you will see that the offer that we have received is very, very competitive…There was a previous study showing a two-lane bridge there across the river with a higher sum, so this is a competitive bid,” he disclosed at the Office of the President (OP).
According to Jagdeo, one of the bids were from the same company building the new Demerara River bridge – China Railway and Construction Corporation Limited. The same team which negotiated this contract will engage with the company to finalise the contract. The team includes Finance Secretary Sukrishnalall Pasha; Attorney-at-Law Ronald Burch-Smith, and Consultant/Engineer Marcel Gaskin.
“We’ve asked the Minister of Finance to put together back the team…We anticipate that before the end of this year, construction of the four-lane bridge concrete structure across the river at Wismar will start,” he told media operatives.
Earlier this month, Government signed a historic US$150 million loan agreement with the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) which will finance a number of transformational infrastructural projects in the country. One of the projects financed under this agreement will be the much-anticipated Wismar bridge.
The loan would also go towards the construction of more than 2000 houses.
SFD Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sultan Abdulrahman Al-Marshad had pointed out during the signing that the new bridge will also link to the existing road network on both sides of the Demerara River, ensuring easier access to nearby public facilities such as Mackenzie Hospital, and other Government facilities.
The Sultan also observed that both of these infrastructural projects will support access to vital services, and represent an essential drive for achieving seven United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing; SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, and SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.
The current bridge has only one vehicle lane and is over 50 years old. Back in 2020, Italian engineering company Politecnica had unveiled designs for a new bridge. The company had been contracted by the then Public Infrastructure Ministry to do a feasibility study for the bridge.
The company had designed a two-road approach: one for the eastern river bank and the other for the western. On both sides, the design catered for new roundabouts which would connect the existing road networks. The bridge would also cater for two-lane traffic and pedestrian walkways.
According to the design, the bridge, road approaches and roundabouts would be equipped with street lights, underpass/culvert to maintain the continuity of existing roads, road safety barriers and sidewalks, and provision would be made for access to the Linden Hospital Complex at Mackenzie.
Last month, the Vice President assured Lindeners that once such projects were completed trade and business opportunities would have to pass through Linden. He had made it clear that the Government has no intention of diverting any trade from Linden.
Between Mabura and Lethem, a whopping 48 concrete bridges are being built according to American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) standards to improve the commute for passengers and commercial traffic.