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“New Demerara River Bridge is on” – Minister Patterson
Work on the new Demerara River Crossing is slated to commence in 2018.
The current Demerara River Bridge is almost 40 years old and has outlived its effectiveness.
Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, assured Region Three at a recent forum that tenders for the bridge construction are already out and that the Ministry is currently shortlisting from 11 contractors.
The Public Infrastructure Minister clarified why there were no provisions in the 2018 budget for the new river crossing.
He said that the aim is to have at least three contractors who would provide proposals either to fund the bridge directly or to have a public/private partnership with the government.
“We would like to do prudent financing, when we would have finished assessing in the next quarter or two and the contractors have arrived at a certain amount, we will know the extent of financing we will need, if any, on the part of the government and we will be going to approach the assembly for supplementary, that will be by June this year,” he explained
The Houston-Versailles link has been dubbed the most economically viable option to construct the new Demerara River Bridge. Minister Patterson said the new bridge will see some land acquisition for the building of additional road networks.
He stressed the importance of having a new bridge over the Demerara River noting the fact that the current bridge is too old requiring frequent maintenance, which results in almost daily traffic congestions.
“The residents in Region Three know more than anyone else in this country why a new bridge is needed and not only a new bridge, you also know why new roads are needed…On a Saturday when school is out, there’s a traffic backup so it’s a need which the government has heard, and we’re putting things in place.”
The feasibility study for the new bridge, which was funded by the government and executed by Lievense CSO Contracting, was completed earlier this year.
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This is amazing no Engineer’s Cost Estimate full reliance on the Contractor for both Construction Cost & Financing. Is this similar to the Parking Meter fiasco, who has ownership of the Asset, how will the operation be regulated?. The PPP approach makes more sense with greater control & accountability during the construction phase.
The PPP should be Govt investment 55% & Private Investment 45% with the Asset being managed by a Quasi Govt. Corporation or Company with a duly appointed Board of Directors accountable to the Partners.