Public invited to attend commissioning of US$262M Demerara River Bridge on Oct 5

The grand opening ceremony for the new US$262 million Demerara River Bridge will take place on Sunday, October 5, 2025, at 17:30h, the Government of Guyana has announced.

According to a statement from the Public Works Ministry, the public will be invited to participate in this historic occasion in the country’s history.
“Members of the public will be invited to witness the commissioning of this transformative and landmark project undertaken by the Irfaan Ali-led Administration. All are welcomed to walk across the bridge with President Ali and the Cabinet, after which the bridge will be immediately opened to vehicular traffic,” the Ministry stated.
The ceremony will take place at the abutment of the eastern end of the bridge, and members of the public are advised to wear comfortable shoes for the walk.
The much-anticipated superstructure is constructed to facilitate the continuous flow of vessel and vehicle traffic, which will boost the transportation of products and services throughout the nation, drastically cut down on travel time and improve connectivity between Regions Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) and Four (Mahaica-Berbice).
This landmark project, launched in 2022, forms part of the Government’s wider vision of national transformation.
The bridge has already passed a critical stage of testing, with engineers confirming its strength and durability. The most recent test involved twenty fully loaded trucks being strategically positioned on the bridge to simulate heavy traffic conditions, while teams of experts monitored the structure’s performance under stress. Advanced sensors recorded stress, strain, deflection, stiffness, and tower displacement, as well as the load forces on the supporting cables.
The new four-lane, 2.6-kilometre (km) bridge stretches from Nandy Park on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) to La Grange on the West Bank of Demerara (WBD).
With a fixed-high span of 50 metres (m), it will allow Handymax vessels to pass unobstructed beneath. The bridge is designed with a lifespan of 100 years and will operate toll-free, 24/7, with a maximum speed limit of 80 km/h. Its design will also feature the Cacique Crown of Honour (CCH), the country’s second-highest national award.
Once commissioned, the bridge will replace the ageing Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB), a floating structure that has long struggled with congestion and frequent closures. The DHB will be removed and repurposed to bridge other waterways across the country.
The new Demerara River Bridge project was undertaken by China Railway Construction (International) Limited with Politecnica as the supervisory consultant.