The construction of the Takutu Bridge is set for a mid-March 2008 completion and is said to be now 48% complete.
According to a Government Information Agency press release Technical Adviser attached to the Ministry of Public Works, Walter Willis, in an invited comment, said the project is likely to be complete by mid-March 2008. The bridge was initially scheduled for a January 2008 completion, but, Willis said, delays in the process occurred three times this year, including the overtopping of the banks of the Takutu River during the May-June rainfall.
The 14-metre wide reinforced concrete structure is supported on four docks with pedestrian walkways on both sides. Eighteen of the 22 sections of the bridge on the Bonfim side have been completed. A multi-purpose complex is being built to facilitate accommodation for customs, immigration, security and other agencies needed at the trans-boundary location, on the Guyana side. Construction on the bridge started again this year after being halted for a long period since its 2001 commencement. The construction of a one-mile access roadway that will be funded by the Brazilian government, through the 6th Battalion of the Brazilian Army, is also on the cards. The project is being undertaken by contractor Arte Leste of Curitiba from the State of Parana.
