Mayor of New Amsterdam, Wainwright McIntosh, expressed worry today over the Government’s plans to construct a new Berbice River Bridge, highlighting that the proposed location of the structure will further exclude New Amsterdam businesses from economic activities.

At a press conference, Mayor McIntosh said when the current Berbice Bridge was constructed connecting D’Edward Village on the West Bank (Region 5) to Crab Island/ on the East Bank (Region 6), a number of businesses in New Amsterdam collapsed as they could no longer benefit from the discontinued ferry service that was operating in New Amsterdam.

Now that the Government is moving ahead with plans to construct a new, high-span, four-lane fixed bridge across the Berbice River, close to the current structure, Mr. McIntosh said New Amsterdam businesses could be further be excluded from economic activities.

“I learned that the government has plans to build a new bridge, not in an area that would benefit citizens of New Amsterdam readily. Here again it speaks to deliberate effort to disintegrate the economic fabric of the town of New Amsterdam and as Mayor of New Amsterdam, championing the cause of citizens, this reality is cause for serious concern,” McIntosh noted.

McIntosh said while the Government has been unveiling expansive plans and programmes for Berbice, most of those plans are targeting the Corentyne corridor, while there are no concrete development plans outlined for New Amsterdam.

The New Amsterdam Municipality is under the control of the APNU, and the party is concerned that there is a deliberate attempt to marginalize communities that are not supportive of the governing party.

APNU Member of Parliament, Dr. Dexter Todd said there appears to be a broader exclusion policy in Government.

“They are only interested in strengthening their strongholds while the other persons whether the support other parties etc, they are feeling the blunt of the PPP’s hands because the resources in those areas are starved and that is what we have been seeing,” Todd noted.

The APNU is calling on the Government  to publish the full route alignment and traffic impact assessments for the new bridge and highway system, as well as develop a comprehensive economic protection and revitalisation plan for New Amsterdam.

It wants that plan to include incentives for business retention and growth.

Related posts:

President announces “toll free” crossing at new Demerara Bridge and other planned new bridges Government wants greater role in operations of Berbice River Bridge; President promises toll reduction Linden Town Council will not be a lazy one -promises new Mayor Sharma Solomon New Amsterdam Town Council shuts down two Chinese Restaurants over insanitary conditions