The new four-lane high-span Demerara bridge will be completed on August 31, 2025.
The bridge is now 61.72% completed, and is one of several major projects expected to be completed in Guyana this year. The new bridge will be instrumental in supporting the oil and gas sector in Guyana, as companies establish facilities on the West Bank and West Coast of Demerara, including the Gas-to-Energy project.
Providing an update at a Saturday wrap-up press conference for 2024, Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill said the bridge construction is progressing smoothly, despite a delay. The bridge was originally supposed to be ready by the end of 2024.
So far, the works that have been completed and how far along they are includes:
– Temporary Trestle Bride and Working Platform: 100%
– Drilled Shaft (East): 78%, Drilled Shaft (West): 100%
– East Approach Piers 50%, West Approach Piers: 87%
– Main Tower Leg: 78%
– Main Tower Cross Beam: 50%
– Fabrication of Precast Girders (East): 24%, Precast Girders (West): 22%
– Installation of Precast Girders (East): 6%, Precast Girders (West): 13%
– Eastern Approach road: 60%, Western Approach Road: 46%
Edghill said a reason for the delay, among other things, was that the concrete needed time to cure. “Even if I put twice the amount of workers on the project, we still have to wait in terms of time for the concrete to cure,” the Minister said.
The modern bridge, connecting Regions Three and Four, is being constructed under standards from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
The bridge will accommodate vehicles of all sizes and weights, and carry a speed limit of 80 kilometers per hour (km/h). It will replace the Demerara Harbour Bridge, which can accommodate vehicles moving at 32 km/h. While the current bridge has opening schedules to allow large vessels to pass, the new bridge will have an elevation of six meters above the surface to allow all vessels to pass underneath. It is expected to last 100 years.
The current bridge has inhibited the smooth flow of traffic. So, the new bridge is highly anticipated to help boost traffic and productivity.
China Railway Construction (International) Limited is the contractor installing the structure for US$260 million, while the Italian firm Politecnica oversees construction.
Edghill explained that the government is considering relocating the current bridge.
