New Demerara River bridge will bring major developments to Region 3 – residents
Residents of Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) praised government’s commitment to infrastructural development with the recent signing of the contract for the construction of the new $52 billion Demerara River bridge.
The residents told DPI on Monday that the new bridge will bring major developments to the region, and significantly cut travel time in half.
Frank Watson said, “the four-lane bridge is one of the best highways that coming to this country because the harbour bridge right now affects a lot of people tremendously … so, I think the best move is a four-lane bridge which has no retraction so people can go back and forth as they like.”
University student, Cianna Johnson highlighted the congestion faced when travelling on the current bridge. She said it’s easier to travel by boat, but with the implementation of a new bridge, traffic congestion would be minimised.
“The new bridge, once they know how to manage that … and manoeuvre of the vehicles rather, I think it would be great. It will be less congested for some reason so I think it will work.”
Simone Britton a public servant who resides in Zeelugt, said the traffic situation has hindered her decision to purchase a vehicle. However, with a new bridge, Britton said she would be delighted to make that purchase.
“It will benefit us the people of Region Three a great lot because the congestion will get more easier, and it will be easier to get to Georgetown and to get to work on time also. When the bridge come I gon get my car and I will be driving straight to work,” she said.
Another resident, Garfield Boston shared similar sentiments.
“It gon be better because faster movements and the faster I reach to town the faster I reach to work because I does do other things. I does mine cow, pig and them thing you know so like morning you got to wake up feed pig, feed cow, come to town make a dollar, go back home and do the same thing. So, like the bridge gon be 100 percent better for me.”
Medical Student Sarah Ganeshram said, “I would think that it would definitely help ease the traffic coming off there, but I am not sure yet if I would intend to take that new route. I would definitely consider taking it if it is faster and of course, infrastructure is always a good thing right, it moves towards development.”
The bridge falls into government’s plans to expand and modernise Guyana’s transport infrastructure, and significantly reduce the incessant traffic woes on the East Bank of Demerara.
The project, which has been long in the making by the PPP/C Administration, was awarded to China Railway Construction Corporation Limited, and is expected to commence immediately, and be completed within two years.
The hybrid designed bridge will feature a modern four-lane structure (two carriageways), cycle lane, with a 2.65 kilometres length, driving surface of about 23.6 metres or 77.8 feet, with a lifespan of some 100 years.
The new crossing will replace the current bridge, which has already outlived its span by some 40 plus years. The current structure, with its mechanical and other issues, causes hundreds of millions of dollars in repairs each year.
The new crossing will provide better connectivity to the East Bank Demerara (EBD) road, the Diamond-to-Ogle bypass road on the eastern side of the river, as well as the West Bank Demerara Road including the Parika-to-Schoonard road.