Interested builders of the new bridge across the Demerara River have up to December 4th to submit expressions of interest (EOI) for a four-lane high-span structure that could be as high as the Marriott Hotel or higher and while likely to be pricey there is no word yet from the government on the projected cost of the facility.

The choice of Nandy Park to the east and Meer Zorgen/La Grange to the west for the new proposed Demerara River Bridge was done based on long-term infrastructural and economic development plans for residents on both sides of the Demerara River, Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill said yesterday.

It was also one of the recommended locations of a feasibility study done by the previous APNU+AFC government.

“We intend to ensure that development takes place on both sides of the bridge. One of the things you want to ensure when you are building a bridge is that you do not interrupt economic activity or you have to go acquire a whole lot of property. If we go to other locations it will be quite an expensive exercise,” Edghill told Stabroek News.

On Saturday, President Irfaan Ali led a delegation on a site visit to Nandy Park, East Bank Demerara, the point where the Bridge will land on the east side of the Demerara River where there will then be access to connecting roads.  Ali said that he wants the project to be completed in three years of its start date.

Yesterday, government advertised for EOIs for the prequalification process to design-build the New Demerara Bridge with available financing options.

“The Government of Guyana, though the Ministry of Public Works wishes to embark on the construction of a new 4-lane, high-span fixed bridge in the vicinity of the current location and which terminates at Nandy Park on the East Bank of Demerara. The new design of the Demerara Harbour Bridge will not require opening or retraction to allow for maritime traffic and will be built with a life span of at least 50 years,” the EOI notice stated.

“Responses to the EOI and Pre-Qualification should contain adequate information to be used by the GoG to determine: the optimal model to pursue: D-B or BOT (including all variants including DBFO, DBFM, DBFMO), sufficient detail to guide the final form of the Design-Build contract associated with the selected model, conceptual design and preliminary costing, proposals to maximize local content including local firms, supplies and labour,” it added.

In addition, interested firms or contractors must also have adequate information so that government could determine,” the allocation and integration of responsibilities between the GOG and the contractor or sponsor, including finalization of the road alignment on each side of the river to minimize its impact and achieve an early completion date , responsibility for the final environmental studies and permitting, definition/clarification of the remaining technical studies to be completed and associated timeframe, expected schedule for completion, including the preliminary steps to start construction and construction timelines including deadline for completion and start of commercial operations”.

The interested bidders would have to supply for government’s analysis, the legal and financial framework that will govern the new bridge and the method of removing and relocating the current bridge.

Marriott Hotel

The Minister of Public Works explained that because the flyover will be “a very high bridge, expected at a 50 meters high minimum or as high as or higher than the Marriott Hotel to give all the clearance for vessels”, engineering requirements are that it must have respective degrees of inclination. To get the gradient necessary would require vast lands on both sides of the bridge’s landing and the chosen location fits into this criteria and complements other factors.

“Bear in mind this is a very high fixed bridge. It will be a flyover. On the western end of the bridge, the alignment is near to where the current bridge is, all that area next to the field [Joe Vieira Ground] and some more. On this side [the east] it ends in the vicinity of a koker/sluice] near a reserve. But because it has to have a gradient and the channels are nearer to the eastern side, we have to find 4,000 feet. So there is an old government reserve and other lands and we walked that area on Saturday… you come out to near where Windsor Estates has a development…,” he said.

“It will be a flyover to the current East Bank Four-lane Highway, which you call the East Bank Public Road. There will be connector roads to the East Bank four-lane, there will also be connector roads to the East Coast/East Bank bypass which is being funded by India. There will also be connecting roads all the way through to Diamond. There will be connector roads taking you to Haags Bosch, Eccles, and you have roads passing you through Perseverance and all those areas with roads back into Georgetown. This will greatly ease the traffic congestion,” he added.

Edghill said that finding the clearance necessary required lots of engineering expertise and local engineers also did their due diligence.

Pointing to the EOI notice, the minister said that EOI suppliers will be given all information on the project. “They will be given all of the information. All information that is available will be given to those buying their tender. Some of the issues, such as traffic flow and such are in studies and we are providing all information that we have. We had done, pre-2015, a desk study and all those information will be available for prospective bidders,” he said.

A feasibility study done by Dutch firm LievenseCSO for the APNU+AFC government in 2017 had listed Houston (East Bank Demerara) to Versailles (West Bank Demerara) as the best option.

But within the last two years, riverfront operations on the East Bank of Demerara have been expanding rapidly as new and upcoming companies aim to support the offshore operations of ExxonMobil.

At Houston, where it was expected that the bridge would be constructed, the area has been somewhat overtaken by massive riverfront development.

It is why last month Edghill said that government was mulling moving the location due mainly to the increased shore-based oil & gas activities, which may pose possible traffic congestion for commuters in the future.

He said another reason for the move was because of planned developments and said that the west side would see major changes.

“We had to take into consideration development from a holistic standpoint also. On the west side, we are seeking to open up a new alignment. I am not talking the current West Coast Public Road. Coming through Schoonord, we will be opening up new housing areas and there will be a new access way running from there all the way through the old train line all to Windsor Forest and those areas. So there will be that opening up a new four-lane alignment. There are also proposals for new housing lands commercial zones on that side. It is a master plan that caters for future developments of this country also. There are available lands, vast swathes of land on that side, which the Ministry of Housing has already identified. So there will be residential, commercial and the possibility to allow for manufacturing zones. Manufacturers won’t have to be trapped on this side. Your 40-foot containers can get in and out at any time,” he said.

“Another benefit of having this high span fixed bridge, is that it would be able to also carry the fibre optic cable for GPL and it would not have to be underground and suffer cuts and breakages from vessels. We have reliability of power and the safety and everything else that goes with that.  So it’s a whole lot of possibilities. We are thinking about development of this country from a holistic standpoint,” he added.