GEORGETOWN - A pre-feasibility study has been completed for the construction of a new Harbour Bridge with three possible locations pinpointed, announced Rolston Adams, General Manager of the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) during a press conference on Friday.
The Government of Guyana sees the need for a new bridge to ease the traffic congestion along the East Bank corridor.
“We have looked at locations, one being the existing location where the bridge is, or at New Hope on the East Bank of Demerara and that is behind Patentia, and the third site is at Versailles in Houston,” Adams told reporters.
At the moment, a Consultant is poring over the documents and it is anticipated that his evaluation will be presented to the Public Works Minister by September month end, Adams disclosed.
“After which it will be sent to Cabinet for approval…we have studied all types of bridges because this is what you do when conducting a feasibility study, but we want to build a fixed high-level bridge,” the DHB General Manager added.
This aside, works are moving apace to change eroded pivots that hold the floating bridge in place, and is expected to be completed shortly.
Revenue collection
Meanwhile, when asked about the revenue being collected from users of the bridge and if it was enough to carry out the various rehabilitations works on the structure, Adams said without government’s subvention, the revenue collected would not do much.
The DHB’s revenue has seen an eight per cent increase in the past four years, and according to Adams, this is still not enough.
Approximately $1 billion is spent every year to maintain the bridge while the revenue collected is around $400 million.
On a different note, Adams said there is not much that could be done to reduce the constant buildup of traffic on the East Bank of Demerara and leading up to the bridge.
“The only thing that could be done is to construct a new bridge to assist in this regard,” he said.
