Gov’t. to acquire forty private properties to build new Demerara Harbour Bridge

Oct 19, 2023 News

Kaieteur News – The Government of Guyana has started the consultation process to acquire forty pieces of property from private land owners as it moves ahead with efforts to construct a new Demerara River Bridge (DHB) crossing.

Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC revealed on Tuesday evening’s broadcast of his programme ‘Issues in the News,’ that steps have been taken to accelerate the process.

“The work on the new Demerara Harbour Bridge is accelerating and as a result government is moving to accelerate the acquisition of lands from private persons who own properties within the location where the new bridge is being built,” Nandlall said.

The AG revealed further that Ministry of Legal Affairs is playing an integral role in the process.

“The Ministry of Housing and Ministry of Public Works had commenced the process together some time ago but unfortunately the process has been a protracted one. The Ministry of Legal Affairs has joined the initiative and hopefully we will accelerate the process,” he said, adding that some forty pieces of private properties will have to be compulsorily acquired by the State.

Nandlall noted that the government has established guidelines on how to approach the matter.

“Our government has a clear and settled procedure by which it approaches this type of situation. We have done many times before; we did it on the Berbice River Bridge; we did at the Hope Canal Water Conservancy and we did it in relation the Gas to Energy Project,” Nandlall asserted.

He told viewers that the government is offering the property owners several options for compensation for the value of the lands.

An artist impression of a model for the new Demerara Harbour Bridge.

The AG said that, “the government is offering several options for as compensation including monetary compensation, land, or land and house in exchange for the plots to build the bridge.”

He added, “The government is offering more compensation as well if the property value is more than the land or the land and the house that is being given in its place.”

“At the end of the day, the government is doing everything possible to ensure that the process is not an antagonistic one and that the private property is satisfied that he is being adequately compensated for the acquisition of the property for the public purpose,” the AG stressed, adding that giving market value is the principle driving force behind the acquisition of the properties in question.

“We are striving to achieve consensus that is agreement between the government and the property owners in terms of the value of their properties. So far, from what we have seen, the process is going smooth, no one is opposed to moving,” Nandlall added.

Construction of the multi-million new Demerara River Bridge has been on the cards for some time.

In 2022, a US$260 million contract was awarded to the joint venture of China Railway Construction Corporation (International) Limited, China Railway Construction (Caribbean) Co., Ltd and; China Railway Construction Bridge Engineering Bureau Group Co., Ltd for the project.

The new crossing will replace the current bridge, which has already outlived its lifespan by some 40 plus years. The current structure, which experiences mechanical and other maintenance issues, costs hundreds of millions of dollars in repairs each year.

The hybrid designed bridge will feature a modern four-lane structure (two carriageways), cycle lane, with a 2.65 kilometers length, driving surface of about 23.6 meters or 77.8 feet, with a lifespan of some 100 years.

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Anil Nandlall, Attorney General (AG), Issues in the News, Minister of Legal Affairs, SC

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