News Source Guyana Reports : President Irfaan Ali has confirmed that the new Demerara River Bridge is on track to open for vehicular traffic before the end of September.
During a visit to the worksite, President Ali noted that ongoing construction includes the approach roads to the bridge, with a roundabout being built on the eastern side along Heroes’ Highway. He expressed satisfaction with the progress, stating that load testing on the bridge is also underway.
“The final phase of testing, including load testing, is ongoing. We anticipate having this project ready for use long before the end of this month. The approach road work and the roundabout are expected to be completed within the next three days,” President Ali said.
Additionally, the government is exploring further expansion of Heroes’ Highway to enhance traffic flow. “We’re looking at adding two collector lanes to facilitate traffic heading directly to the Haags Bosch interconnection, which extends back to Ogle. On the west side of the bridge, a collector lane has been added to streamline traffic from the west bank directly onto the carriageway,” he explained.
The President emphasized that the ultimate goal is to improve traffic management efficiency, with plans for two flyover roads to be introduced in the future.
The four-lane bridge spans 2.6 kilometers, connecting Nandy Park on the East Bank of Demerara to La Grange on the West Bank. Its total width, including the lanes, shoulders, and median, exceeds 23 meters, ensuring safe and efficient traffic flow. Standing at 50 meters high, the bridge is designed to accommodate Handymax vessels passing underneath and was constructed at a cost of USD $260 million by China Railway Construction (International) Limited. Construction began just over two years ago.
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