Corentyne River Bridge awaits financing approval from China

– Guyana, Suriname settle on contractor, preliminary works already started

With a contractor already identified by both Guyana and Suriname and preparatory works already started, all that remains for works to begin on the Corentyne Bridge itself is for financing from China to be approved.

This was revealed by Public Works Minister Bishop Juan Edghill, during a recent meeting with the Upper Corentyne Chamber of Commerce. According to the Minister, preparatory works have already started, inclusive of the roads and bridges that are being built from Moleson Creek to El Dorado in Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne).
According to Edghill, the government is waiting for approval of financing from China, something both sides are seeking since Suriname President Chandrikapersad Santokhi recently visited China, carrying a letter jointly signed by himself and President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, to finalize the financing agreement.
“We have gone through the full tender process, we have a preferred contractor at the end of an evaluation process and both governments have agreed to approach our partner, the Republic of China to finance the project,” Minister Edghill said.
According to Edghill, construction on the bridge will begin once the financial agreement has been finalized. In addition to the preparatory work, the Public Work Ministry’s engineering team has also surveyed the corridor to finalize the alignment of the bridge.
The chamber was also informed of the ambitious plans the government has for the bridge, such as adding a free-trade zone along the Long Island corridor, which will boost the bridge’s economic viability. Additional plans include the construction of hotels, a farmers’ market and water sports facilities.
The Corentyne River Bridge is one of the first agreements between Presidents Ali and Santokhi, with both Heads previously underscoring the critical role the bridge would play in advancing cooperation, creating more opportunities for development for both countries.
The Corentyne River bridge will be approximately 3.1 kilometres in length and would connect Moleson Creek in Guyana to South Drain in Suriname with a landing on Long Island in the Corentyne River, where a commercial hub and tourist destination would be established. That duty-free zone would see major infrastructural development, such as hotels, recreational parks, entertainment spots, tourist attractions, malls, and farmers’ markets.
In May of 2022, a US$2 million contract was signed in Paramaribo for several preliminary studies and research to be conducted on the Corentyne bridge by WSP Caribbean. The Expressions of Interest (EoIs) were also simultaneously launched.
Then in June 2023, WSP Caribbean presented the design of the Corentyne River bridge to Public Works Minister Juan Edghill and his Surinamese counterpart, Minister Riad Nurmohamed, of a two-section structure that is connected via an island (Long Island) to link Guyana and Suriname. The design also featured a two-lane bridge with accommodation for a third lane in case of an emergency.
Six international companies – five Chinese firms and one Dutch company from The Netherlands – had submitted bids for the construction of the Corentyne River bridge. The bids were opened at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) in Georgetown back in August 2023.
Initially, the plan was to have the bridge built according to a design-build-finance-operate-maintain (DBFOM) model, meaning that whichever company is contracted to build the bridge would be responsible for its design, construction, financing, operation and maintenance. The bridge was also to have been constructed via a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement.
In October 2023, two companies – Dutch engineering company Ballast Nedam and Chinese-owned China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) – submitted proposals to build the bridge over the Corentyne River to link Guyana and Suriname. However, those companies have since indicated that they are unable to meet the pre-financing requirement.
In an interview with Guyana Times on the sidelines of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government Conference, held in Georgetown earlier this year, President Santokhi had said that there are financial institutions that are willing to fund the construction of the bridge. Santokhi had noted that informal discussions were held with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which had indicated an interest in financing the project.
The bridge will be a lower-level structure approximately one kilometre long from Moleson Creek to Long Island, with a 2200-metre (2.2km) road across Long Island and a higher-level bridge spanning 2100 metres (2.1km) thereafter.
The high end of the bridge would facilitate marine traffic and cater for 40,000 to 45,000 DWT (deadweight tonnage) capacity featuring a vertical (height) clearance of 43 metres and a horizonal (width) clearance of about 100 metres.
Upon completion, the bridge would not only link the two neighbouring countries, but would 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. (G-3)