Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill today disclosed that the Government of Guyana is finalizing an agreement for the complete acquisition of the Berbice River Bridge.

The Minister made the disclosure this afternoon as the Parliamentary Committee of Supply considered the $227.2 Billion budgeted for the Ministry of Public Works.   

“I can indicate to you that at this particular time, there is a movement in the direction of the Government of Guyana acquiring the Berbice River Bridge,” Minister Edghill said.

He confirmed to reporters that negotiations could be concluded before the end of the first quarter of this year.

The Berbice River Bridge is managed by the Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated, through a public-private partnership. The National Insurance Scheme (NIS), the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), Hand-in-Hand, New GPC, Queens Atlantic Investment Inc and Secure International Finance are the companies that all have shares in Bridge.

APNU Member of Parliament, Saiku Andrews, drew the Committee’s attention to the fact that in this year’s Budget, there is no provision in the form of a subsidy for the Berbice River Bridge.

“I noticed that there is zero allocation for the Berbice Bridge [and] my question to the Honorable Minister is, can you explain having toll free crossing, how is it this year there is no allocation for the Berbice Bridge,” MP Andrews asked.

While tightlipped on the total cost to acquire the Berbice River Bridge, Minister Edghill assured that it would be more effective to acquire the bridge, than for the Government to continue covering the cost of the tolls after making the bridge toll free.

“The Berbice Bridge, and I don’t want to use this opportunity to make announcement but I want to use this opportunity to inform the House that the Government of Guyana is on its way to finalizing all the i’s and crossing all the t’s for the ownership of the Berbice River Bridge. And based on the figures that I have been looking at, what it will be costing the treasury for the acquisition of the bridge would be less than if we had to pay tools from now and next year, based on the figures I am looking at,” Minister Edghill said.

Pressing the Public Works Minister for more answers, MP Andrews questioned the Minister on the significant increase in allocations for the maintenance of bridges, from $175 Million in 2025 to $1.342 Billion in 2026.

It was then that Minister Edghill explained that the budgeted sum in 2026 includes funds appropriated for the payment of tolls to facilitate toll-free crossing at the three primary bridges in the country. The allocation also includes funding for the operating expenses attached to the bridges.

“For example, all the staff from the Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge is now in the employed of the Ministry of Public Works and the full maintenance of all three bridges in Linden is now with the Ministry of Public Works. All the staff from the Demerara Harbour Bridge is now with the Ministry of Public Works,” Minister Edghill said.

Edghill said in the case of the Berbice River Bridge, the Public Works Ministry will be responsible for its operating expenses when it is fully acquired.

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