Comments on: Berbice bridge on track for Sept

By: WESTBANKCHIC

WESTBANKCHIC — Fri, 16 May 2008 21:06:46 +0000

WOW! Awesome news.

This is a step in the right direction for Guyana.

What a relief to read about this…

Essequibo bridge….doesn’t sound plausible.

By: Bountyhunter

Bountyhunter — Fri, 16 May 2008 20:50:32 +0000

It would be very good to have this bridge

By: A380100

A380100 — Fri, 16 May 2008 19:23:03 +0000

Good news for those on the corentyne and for business. I still would have preferred a better design, like a suspension bridge, or a concrete bridge, it costs more, but lasts much longer.

Now Essequibo…

By: colt45

colt45 — Fri, 16 May 2008 17:35:29 +0000

Great news for us who waited hours to cross

By: rwilliams

rwilliams — Fri, 16 May 2008 16:46:21 +0000

This is a development in the right direction. Like others, it should be managed in a sustainable manner; efficiently and profitably, always with the best interest of users in mind.
This project can help stimulate economic and social development in the country. However, the other related issues of governance; crime prevention, strengthening and reform of the judiciary, activation and militancy of the various parliamentary commissions, removal of the authoritarian powers of the president with the neccessary checks and balance etc; are inseparable and essential elements in forging optimism in the future of the country.
Placing the interest of the nation before party or partisan objectives, will bring the development and harmony the society needs and deserves.

By: BADLALL

BADLALL — Fri, 16 May 2008 16:12:29 +0000

Why so much secrecy on this bridge building, anyone could have approached the Takutu bridge and take pictures of it . This controlled tour once every six months by a selected few is not good PR they have to be more open. I travelled on that Suriname bridge all tolls have been removed. I later found out that the bridge was built with internal (in country) funds.all has been repaid on time.

By: Ginger56

Ginger56 — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:17:56 +0000

Oh yeah…i for one am very happy hear this. Having to cross the Berbice river to go up to Corentyne is a nightmare…there’s always a long line of vehicles waiting to cross.

This will certainly bring some relief .

By: Karter 1

Karter 1 — Fri, 16 May 2008 13:35:55 +0000

Guyana has waited far too long for this accomplishment,Any king of bridge is better than no bridge at all.I remember waiting 6 hrs on the ferry.Will miss those days for sure.Now this government have to figure out how to solve this crime situation then I’ll think of visiting

By: Trix

Trix — Fri, 16 May 2008 13:29:57 +0000

We indeed have to be cautious of the arrangements made for the management and operation of the bridge; especially with single crossings starting at $1,400 per car (I hope the return trip is free). We can reach a situation where it will indeed be too expensive for the average citizen to drive over twice or 4 times a day depending on his/her need. It seems that pedestrians will not be allowed on the bridge and so too may pedal cyclists and other similar types of traffic (including carts, etc.) so the ferry service will indeed still be very much required.

By: mackydog

mackydog — Fri, 16 May 2008 13:15:34 +0000

Excellent going Guyana, an important vision for the people of Guyana and especially Berbice being finally realised. Come September, no more hassles with the horrible boat system now there. Berbice get ready for mass development, the bridge will definitely make things much easier for farm produce and people conducting business between Corentyne and GT. The bad news is the gunmen, bandits and terrorists will now have a speedy access to unprotected people on the Corentyne. I remembered during the PNC days Burnham pasted posters all over the country and on the stellings advertising a road or something with a photo attached saying “PNC made this possible”. I suggest the present government do something similar to advertise the developments that have taken place since 1992, the new roads, schools, modern bridges, etc, (too much to mention), because some negative people only see the bad things going on in the country which is not the government’s doing, only their responsibility to prevent. So now, Mr. President, we look forward to the train from GT to Lethem/Brazil border. Prove to the naysayers that you can emulate Mr. Flagler. CONGRATULATIONS, LET’S GO FORWARD GUYANA.

By: Mainlandweb

Mainlandweb — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:57:21 +0000

A bridge across the Berbice River is most welcome. Even though this project is a private venture, the PPP was forced to act to make it a reality. You see, the pressure was unrelenting on the current administration to do something great – great like what Burnham did; bridging the Demerara River.
All is not well with the Berbice Bridge. It has far less supporting pontoons than what is required. One has to realize that pontoons of a floating bridge are like ribs of an umbrella. The more pontoons there are the lesser the risk for the bridge to stay afloat.
Let us do not make the mistake and scrap the ferry service. In fact, I suspect that the owners of the bridge would try their best to drive the ferry out of business and monopolize the crossing of the Berbice River in their favour. Guyanese would then have to “pay through their nose”. Let’s do not become too excited with this bridge. A lot of us would not be able to pay the tolls to use it, and may once again have to resort to “balahoo” and punts to cross the Berbice River. Talk about bridge, I don’t know how to show you guys some pictures, but Ballast Nedam built 2 bridges for the Government of Suriname – one across the Copenaam River and one across the Paramaribo (Suriname) River. They are solid concrete structures that have become major tourist’s attractions. The maintenance cost is virtually 0, and the fare is a mere token.

Mainlandweb
(Red Lion)

By: A1976

A1976 — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:31:34 +0000

Although the deadline is not far away, please ensure you don;t compromise on safety and quality despite what any one thinks.

The consequences of compromise will be far worse than not meeting the deadline. I’m very excited about the bridge, but please please please get the job done right once.

By: A_Mieczkiewicz

A_Mieczkiewicz — Fri, 16 May 2008 10:46:37 +0000

Good news, at last.