New Demerara River Bridge 90.7 per cent complete

A total of 1,600 cubic metres of concrete seal was completed on the final bridge tower (Pier 35) on the New Demerara River Bridge, which is 90.7 per cent completed.  

With this milestone, the 62 piers encompassing the bridge’s superstructure are now completed.

This announcement was made by Minister of Public Works Bishop Juan Edghill Saturday night, during an assessment of the works on the bridge.

He was joined by the Minister within the Ministry, Deodat Indar, staff from the ministry, and representatives from China Railway Construction Corporation Limited and Politecnica Ingegneria. 

Minister Edghill stated that June 7 marks another significant milestone achieved on the construction of the New Demerara River Bridge, highlighting that the installation of the girders and the drilling of the first draft are among the other significant milestones.

“The next milestone event after the pouring [of concrete] and the completion of these towers is when we will complete the 17 cable-stayed sections which would be 570 metres across the channel,” Minister Edghill explained.

He added that “By June 15, we would have completed the installation of all the girders on the Eastern side. All of the girders on the western side are already [installed]. This means that the bridge would be completely assembled and it is just a matter of pouring the concrete, putting in the asphaltic surface, the rails and putting on the light.”

Minister Edghill assured that the high-span, four-lane bridge remains on track for completion on August 31, 2025, asserting that the monumental project is being completed within the contract sum.

With more than 1,300 people working on the bridge around-the-clock, he said work is progressing rapidly now that more staff and resources have been deployed.

Minister Indar noted that the bridge will improve connectivity for thousands of commuters, reduce travel time and boost socio-economic opportunities. 

“This bridge will not only connect two regions, but also show the rest of the world that we can build massive structures right here in our country,” Minister Indar said.

The long-awaited project is being executed by China Railway Construction Corporation Limited and supervised by Politecnica Ingegneria. It is being built according to international standards.