- Prime Minister

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds says that government is looking towards the establishment of an export processing zone close to the Berbice River Bridge as well as oil refineries and assembly plants, besides other major projects.

Prime Minister Hinds was last Friday paying his second visit to the bridge since the start of construction and he was accompanied by his wife Yvonne Hinds, site/installation manager Henny Muskins, members of the Works Services Group and the Berbice River Bridge Company Incorporated (BBCI), the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.

Twenty-three spans have been successfully installed, 17 of which are located at the western end and  six on the eastern bank of the river.

The Prime Minister and team while inspecting, walked the entire western end which is specially capped with calcined bauxite for noise reduction and skid resistance.

The bridge can support a weight capacity of 60 tons.

The structure will span some 1.55 kilometres and will rest atop 39 pontoons. Storage and assembly of the bridge is being done at the BBCI headquarters in the Mahaica Mahaicony Abary (MMA) compound at Rosignol.

Muskins said that the eastern end is the complicated part of the project since the spans will be hoisted higher in some areas and  will also be fitted with support structures underneath to facilitate the sloping spans.

According to the Prime Minister, the bridge which has a longevity of about 50 years will be the stepping stone for greater commerce between Regions Five and Six and will significantly reduce the burdensome Rosignol to New Amsterdam ferry crossing.

The team also inspected the approach road at Crab Island where site filling and levelling are being done as well as other necessary arrangements for drainage and irrigation.  The Crab Island section which was entirely swampland became passable in May after major works.

The approach roads located at D’Edward in Region Five and Crab Island in Region Six are being constructed at a cost of US$8.78M. It caters for 3.1 kilometres on the eastern side and 700 metres on the western bank of the Berbice River.

The Berbice Bridge is closer to the Atlantic Ocean than the Demerara Harbour Bridge but is narrower in width and makes no provision for foot crossing. Its initial toll operation will be controlled by the BBCI for a period of 21 years before it is handed over to the government, GINA added.