Gov’t seeking partner for new Demerara bridge

Government is inviting expressions of interest (EOIs) from local and foreign parties to be a partner in the new Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB).

“Responses to this EOI will be used to guide the selection of a partner or partners who will work with the government to design and implement the project. The project will be implemented via a special purpose company, financed by debt and equity contributions, following a public/private partnership model,” government’s holding company, the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) said in an ad in the state-owned newspaper, the Sunday Chronicle.

There have long been calls for a new bridge across the Demerara River and over the past years, the 35-year-old structure has been plagued by mechanical problems. It has been pointed out that the growth in traffic has taken a toll on the bridge, which opened in 1978 and has been the major artery linking Georgetown to the West Demerara. The floating steel structure, which measures 6074 feet (1851.4 metres), spans the Demerara River from the village of Peter’s Hall on the eastern side to Plantation Meer-Zorgen on the western end.

In his presentation to the budget debate in April, Minister of Transport and Hydraulics Robeson Benn said that the DHB will have to remain in operation for at least the next six years.

NICIL said that