The initiative to construct a bridge across the Corentyne River may begin next year, President Bharrat Jagdeo announced on Thursday.

Speaking at the commissioning of the Guyana Water Inc. water treatment plant in Corriverton, Berbice, Jagdeo said he met Surinamese President Desi Bouterse again during his recent trip to New York and that they agreed to push the project. “We have agreed that we will jointly move expeditiously to bridge the Corentyne River. We want to start that project sometime next year,” Jagdeo said.

During a meeting here on September 6, Jagdeo and his Surinamese counterpart announced that they had agreed to conduct a feasibility study into bridging the Corentyne River. The construction of the bridge was described as one of “vital importance” which would “further physically integrate” South America.  Jagdeo said that if the countries were to depend only on the multilateral framework, it would take a long time so it was decided that this would be approached on a bilateral level.  The feasibility study would not only look at the cost of the project but also at its likely development impact. During his presidential campaign, Bouterse had promised to build a bridge across the Corentyne River should he be elected.

Jagdeo said that once the technical assessments were completed, the issue of finances for the project would then be addressed by the two countries.

Meanwhile, Jagdeo told the gathering on Thursday that in a few months time a wharf will be constructed and oil rigs will begin operation.   He said that this was now possible because the previous difficulties with Suriname are now in the past. “We had some difficulties with Suriname but these are behind us,” he said.

“In a few months time, a  $30 million wharf will be constructed  somewhere by the bridge that will have multiple purposes but which would be the staging area for the rigs that would start drilling for oil early next year in the basin just offshore the Corentyne,” he said.  These expeditions, he hopes, will result in discoveries of wells that could be used to benefit the country, he said.