New Berbice River Bridge will match modern Demerara structure in design, standards

…will cater for Region 6 gas project, industrial park & other developments – Pres Ali

President Dr. Irfaan Ali has assured that the new Berbice River bridge, for which contractors are currently being prequalified, will be on par with the modern structure of the new Demerara River bridge currently being built.
According to the Head of State, the bridge will have a futuristic design, capable of interconnecting with the massive developments taking place in Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne). He made it clear that the bridge will be no less in standard than the four lane, fixed structure currently being built across the Demerara River.
“The Berbice River bridge will be built under the same system that we utilised for the Demerara River bridge. The Berbice River bridge will be no less in terms of design capability, structure and the intent of the bridge.”
“The bridge will cater for the expansion that will take place at Palmyra, the gas project that will be built in Region Six and also the development of an industrial park, with the port facilities that will support these services,” the head of state said.

According to the president, his administration hopes to be able to make decisions on the bridge before the end of the year, based on the Expressions of Interest it receives. He also revealed that cabinet will soon be discussing how to improve competitiveness, transportation cost and the efficiency of moving goods and services across both the Berbice and Demerara bridges.
The president’s comment came one day after Guyana Times in our August 25, 2024 edition, inadvertently published quotes from the wrong prequalification document, erroneously referencing the 2017 new Demerara River bridge proposal. These inaccuracies included, but were not limited to, incorrect information such as the bridge having three lanes, a moveable section and price increase. We deeply regret this error and sincerely apologise for the confusion and any inconvenience this may have caused to our readers, stakeholders, and the public.
Meanwhile, the new Demerara River bridge, which is currently under construction, will be a fixed 2.65-kilometre, four-lane, high-span, cable-stayed structure across the Demerara River, with the width of the driving surface being about 23.6 metres.
The bridge, which features a bicycle lane, would end the closure to vehicular traffic with a 50-metre fixed high span to cater for the free and uninterrupted flow of vessels. The river would be dredged along a 13.5-kilometre stretch to accommodate large vessels.

By May 2024, works on the new Demerara River Bridge were 43.4 per cent completed, with a March 31, 2025 completion deadline. The latest update on the bridge, which came following a site visit on August 23 by Minister within the Public Works Ministry Deodat Indar, is that it is 64 per cent complete.

Critical infrastructure
The president made it clear that both the Demerara and Berbice River bridges are critical pieces of infrastructure, which will play key roles in Guyana’s development. He assured that before year end, he would be addressing the construction of these bridges on a national basis.
“Before the end of this year, I’ll be addressing these matters nationally and will be making some pronouncements that would ensure improved competitiveness in terms of transport costs, increased efficiency and reliability.”
“And I can assure that all decisions, will definitely be to the benefit of consumers, businesses and expansion of economic activities taking place in Region Five, Six, Four and all across the country.”
The idea of a new bridge across the Berbice River was first floated back in October 2022 by President Dr. Irfaan Ali. Speaking at the launch of the Berbice Expo and Trade Fair two years’ ago, the Head of State told residents of Region Six that Government was considering a new bridge as part of the many infrastructure developments planned for the ancient county.
Then back in January this year, Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo announced that Government had already started planning the construction of a structure across the Berbice River.
Construction of the bridge comes at a time when the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government is making plans for a plethora of development initiatives in the ancient county. This includes plans for the second major gas project, which VP Jagdeo has previously said is expected to be built in Berbice.
“Maybe if the second monetisation of the gas project comes on shore, it will come onshore in Berbice. Because that’s the ideal location given that more of our gas finds have been in the Haimara area and Pluma,” the Vice President told reporters in July.
In the Stabroek Block, some 17 trillion cubic feet of gas have already been found, with the Pluma and Haimara wells being proven gas fields. The government is seeking to develop this gas.
One way it is doing this is through the Gas-to-Energy (GtE) Project which will feature approximately 220 kilometres of a subsea pipeline offshore from the Liza Destiny and Liza Unity floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels in the Stabroek Block to Wales, West Bank Demerara (WBD).
Upon landing on shore, the pipeline will continue for approximately 25 kilometres to the Natural Gas Liquid (NGL) plant to be constructed in Wales. The pipeline would be 12 inches in diameter and is expected to transport some 50 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) of dry gas to the NGL plant, but can push as much 120 mmscfd.
In July, Jagdeo had also said that the government’s plans for a deep-water port project, which when constructed is expected to revolutionise the Region Six economy, could be modified with the building out of a causeway to mitigate challenges with dredging the mouth of the Berbice River.
According to the VP, the government was at the time considering such a proposal. One benefit of this proposal is that the country would be spared the logistical and financial hurdles of dredging the mouth of the river, which would have too much sediment.
Other infrastructure plans range from constructing a four-lane highway in Berbice to the construction of a stadium in the region. Government has previously spoken of its plans to spend approximately US$400 Million on a four-lane highway between New Amsterdam and Moleson Creek, while works have already started at the Berbice Stadium and multipurpose centre at Palmyra.