Financing agreement finalised for progression of new Demerara River crossing

Public Works Minister Juan Edghill announced that the financing agreement for the progression of the new Demerara River crossing was finalised.
The Minister made the announcement on the sidelines of a small staff gathering on Friday at the Harbour Bridge.
“In the wee hours this morning (Friday) we concluded the financing agreement, so very soon Guyanese will see work moving apace. You will be seeing this happening: modernisation taking place and all the rest of it. We got to continue to bring development and progress to Guyana,” he is quoted as saying by the Department of Public Information (DPI).

The Public Works Ministry on May 25, 2022 signed a $52 billion (US$260 million) contract for the construction of the long-awaited new Demerara River bridge.
The move falls under the Government’s plans to expand and modernise Guyana’s transport infrastructure and significantly reduce the incessant traffic woes on the East Bank of Demerara.
The project, which has been long in the making by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration, was awarded to China Railway Construction Corporation Limited. Work is expected to commence immediately and be completed within two years.

The hybrid-design bridge will feature a modern four-lane structure (two carriageways), a cycle lane, and be 2.65 kilometres long, with a driving surface of about 23.6 metres or 77.8 feet, with a lifespan of some 100 years.
The new crossing will replace the current bridge, which has already outlived its lifespan by some 40-plus years. With its mechanical and other issues, the current structure costs hundreds of millions of dollars in repairs each year.
The new bridge will provide better connectivity to the East Bank Demerara (EBD) road, the Diamond-to-Ogle bypass road on the eastern side of the river, as well as the West Bank Demerara (WBD) roads, including the Parika-to-Schoonord road on the western side of the river.