Old Demerara Harbour Bridge to Remain Open for 24-Hour Shipping After New Bridge Launch
By Marvin Cato | HGP Nightly News.
The old Demerara Harbour Bridge will remain permanently retracted to facilitate 24-hour ship traffic once the new Demerara River Bridge is commissioned. This update was provided by Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, during an engagement with the Private Sector Commission on Monday.
Minister Edghill explained that the retraction will boost Guyana’s shipping capacity and commercial viability:
“The day that the new Demerara River Bridge is opened, I have to open the old bridge and leave it open… There must be 24 hours traffic of ships coming and going.”
Following its permanent retraction, sections of the old bridge will be repurposed to form new bridges in strategic areas to improve connectivity. Sand Hills has already been identified to receive a retractor span along with two additional sections. Other possible destinations include Kuwani, Sand Creek (Region 9), and the islands of Leguan and Wakenaam in the Essequibo River.
Edghill emphasized that in Sand Hills, flexibility would be maintained for bauxite tugs:
“When you put it up all the way to Sand Hills, you could open and close at leisure for the bauxite tugs to pass.”
On the status of the new Demerara River Bridge, the minister disclosed that load testing is ongoing to assess structural integrity. The process is guided by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) standards.
He clarified that the testing focuses on the bridge’s structural precision, not weight limits, pointing out that cranes weighing 760 tons and crawlers weighing 60 tons are already operating on the project without issues.
“It has nothing to do with how much weight can cross the bridge,” Edghill stressed.
The new Demerara River Bridge is considered a landmark project that will redefine transportation, shipping, and connectivity in Guyana.
