Even as the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is working along with the Government of Guyana to establish a deepwater port to foster improved business relations with Brazil, a reliable source at the Public Infrastructure Ministry has disclosed that Kurupukari village is one of the four possible locations to develop the linkage.
In April, a team of engineers visited the site to conduct a study on the possibility of a bridge being erected across the mighty Essequibo River to link it with Kurupukari, a settlement on the River, which currently requires one to travel via river taxis.
According to the source, the bridge would earmark the first phase of the development of the long-awaited deepwater port. Other potential areas for the establishment of the port include the Berbice and Demerara Rivers.
The source at that time had reliably informed that the bridge is necessary to accommodate “proper linkages” within the regions.
“The bridge is in the making so the design concept and the actual kind of bridge we would like to have and all of that is actually why we made the visit.”
It was explained that during the visit, several stops were made along the way to test the soil and other necessities.
The source also noted that the Ministry’s team would have visited the Takutu Bridge, which links Lethem with Brazil, since the new bridge is likely to have similar design.
Since feasibility studies are being conducted, the source was unable to say how much such a project would cost.
The Takutu Bridge links Lethem in Guyana with Bonfim in Brazil. It was completed in 2009 and opened on July 31, 2009. Its official inauguration was on September 14, 2009, in the presence of leaders of both countries. The bridge was constructed at the cost of US$5 million which was financed by the Government of Brazil.
The bridge was a project within the initiative for the integration of the regional infrastructure of South America. The IDB recently issued a statement indicating that as early as the first quarter of 2019, the Government of Guyana will have a clear idea of where to site the deepwater port and an even better understanding of what is required to make the Guyana – Brazil Land Transport Link a reality.
It went on to state that the government has been partnering with IDB via a Technical Cooperation Agreement to advance the Guyana – Brazil Land Transport Link and Deep-Water Port.
“The recently concluded market study has paved the way for work to begin that will see Guyana moving closer toward this goal.
At present, three companies have been engaged and are working simultaneously to help move various aspects of the project into fruition. The results of the three studies to help the Government of Guyana make a determination will be completed by early 2019,” the IDB release informed.
It went on to say that the deepwater port location optimisation studies are being conducted by the Maritime and Transport Business Solutions (MTBS).
The MTBS will therefore have the responsibilities of preparing business case scenarios for four of the potential sites identified for the project, as well as undertaking financial and economic option analyses and subsequently developing a proposal and preliminary design for development of the selected option.
A transport consultant and an expert in ports and logistics have already been contracted to offer specialised supervision services, under the technical cooperation agreement.
As plans continue to be drafted and are finally coming to light, the issue of a deepwater port in the Lethem area has managed to sprout concern for many, as the trail to this area has been a troublesome one for quite some time. The Government, however, has given all assurance that this too will be dealt with in the coming days, as the plans for the project slowly fall into place.
