Proposed US$150m Demerara bridge not financially viable without support from gov’t – feasibility study

An artist’s impression of the new Demerara Harbour Bridge (Ministry of Public Infrastructure rendering)

The proposed US$150m three-lane, low bridge from Houston to Versailles will not be financially viable without support from the government, according to the feasibility study done by Dutch company LievenseCSO.

The feasibility study which was submitted to the government on August 17th this year and released yesterday by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, said that revenues from the proposed toll would make up for operational expenses but would not cover debt servicing.

The study said that the toll rates can be increased but there is a limit to that as too large an increase would make it unaffordable to users.