The deadline for the completion for the US$260 Million Demerara River Bridge has been pushed back by some three months, owing to some logistical and other challenges, according to Works Minister, Juan Edghill.

During an early morning press conference, Minister Edghill explained that the Government was initially anticipating completion of the project by the end of this year, but the completion date has been revised because of procurement challenges.

“It is mainly getting the things here in a timely manner because in all fairness to the contractor, they have worked day and night to bring us to this stage. So, we have calculated the time loss and what has offered—I have every country would like to have more but what we have agreed on is March 31, 2025 and that is just and fair in keeping with the circumstances,” Edghill stated.

The project which is being executed by China Railway Construction (International) Limited (CRCCL), is about 68% completed, according to the Minister, although there is a significant amount of work still to be completed.

It was explained that about US$150m of the US$260m for the project has been expended so far. With the extension of the completion timeline, the cost is expected to be increased.

Meanwhile, Project Manager for the bridge project, Patrick Thompson said adequate safety measures will be put in place to minimize damages and disruptions at the bridge. He stated that the  bridge was designed to withstand collisions and other shocks from large  vessels.

“We have also built the structure of the foundation and the peers of the main tower to resist the collision of a Handymax vessel, so if it does collide the structure is strong enough to mot collapse or impacted in any big way. In addition to that, we are going to have some collision protection around the piles so before it gets to the bridge it would have to collide with the collision protection system that the contractor build,” Thompson said.

The crossing will consist of four lanes and will span 2.6 kilometres, connecting Nandy Park on the East Bank of Demerara to La Grange on the West Bank.

Its total width, including the four lanes, shoulders, and median, will be 23.6 metres, providing ample space for safe and efficient traffic flow.

With a height of 50 metres, the bridge is specifically designed to accommodate Handymax vessels passing underneath. The minimum horizontal width of the navigation span is 210 metres, but the final design is anticipated to have a more extensive horizontal span.

President Irfaan Ali has promised that when completed, the Bridge will not attract any toll for crossing.

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