New Demerara River bridge will save Guyana billions in lost productive time – PSC

– says failure to build bridge already cost country US$2.2B in last 5 years

Hypothesising that the failure to build the new Demerara River Bridge has already cost Guyana US$2.2 billion in productive time over the last five years, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) is of the view that building the critical infrastructure will save the country billions of dollars in lost productive time.

The PSC made this analysis in a recent missive, hailing the fact that the construction of the bridge is finally moving apace. It was noted by the commission that the bridge was supposed to have been built since 2012.
In fact, the bridge was identified in 1996 for construction, in the National Development Strategy, the formulation of which the PSC would have played an integral part. However, for a variety of reasons, the bridge never materialised.
The commission, nevertheless, did its calculations to show the heavy toll not having the bridge will take on the country and its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The private sector body particularly noted that the US$2.2 billion in productive time lost due to not having the bridge, was equivalent to almost 50 per cent of pre-oil production GDP.
“The Government’s investment in the bridge when calculated in terms of its cost benefits to the country is enormous. For instance, taking into consideration that conservatively, a total of 12,000 vehicles traverses the bridge on a daily basis with an average number of persons per vehicle of five; with the current traffic situation, commuters lose approximately two – four hours per day in traffic alone, this would work out to about a loss of 43.8 million productive hours or the equivalent of 5 years’ loss of productive hours.”
“The traffic congestion problem started to worsen about five years ago so imagine then the loss in productive hours, collectively over five years’ period. By using per capita income of US$5000 to arrive at an average hourly rate of US$10, would amount to a loss of US$2.2 billion in productive time over this five years’ period,” PSC noted.
It also explained that there is a myriad of social benefits to the population, from having the bridge. For one, persons can spend more quality time with their families in the evenings after work, and before school in the mornings, as a result of travel time being slashed.
There would also be better productive and social use of time to engage in other activities, and efficiency in transport. Collectively, more time would also be available to engage in productive activities to enhance individuals’ livelihoods.
Another point raised was that the new bridge would not be required to be closed to vehicular traffic for ocean-going vessels. Instead, it would be built high enough for ships to pass under, reducing the wear and tear on vehicles.

Back in November 2021, Cabinet had granted its no-objection for the Chinese company to construct the bridge using a Design-Build-Finance (DBF) model. The bridge will land aback Nandy Park, East Bank Demerara (EBD), on the eastern side and at La Grange, West Bank Demerara (WBD) on the western side.
Late last month, a US$260 million contract for the new bridge was signed between the Government and China Railway and Construction Corporation (International) Limited, which is leading a joint venture that outbid four other pre-qualified international companies that submitted proposals for the project.
The new bridge 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, will bring an end to closures to vehicular traffic with a 50-metre fixed high span to cater for the free flow of vessels uninterrupted. The river will be dredged along a 13.5-kilometre stretch to accommodate large vessels.
Already, the Guyana Government has allocated some $21.1 billion in the 2022 budget towards work on the bridge. It will have a lifespan of 100 years. This new bridge will replace the ageing floating Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB), which has outlived its lifespan by several decades.
At 1.25 miles (2.01km), the current Demerara Harbour Bridge is a strategic link between the East and West Banks of Demerara, facilitating the daily movement of thousands of vehicles, people, and cargo.