The new four-lane Wismar-Mackenzie bridge has been completed, with its official opening to the public expected shortly, according to Minister of Public Works Bishop Juan Edghill.
The minister confirmed that construction of the bridge is finished, with the remaining arrangements, including the confirmation of a date for its official opening by President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, being finalised.
“The bridge is completed. We are awaiting on all of the other things to be done, including the date when the President is to sign for it to be opened,” Minister Edghill said.
Minister Edghill also disclosed that the bridge is expected to be opened by year-end.
The completion of the bridge marks an important step in improving connectivity between Linden and Wismar, with the new infrastructure expected to support the movement of commuters, residents, and commercial traffic.
Meanwhile, the US$35 million bridge replaces a crossing built by the Demerara Bauxite Company in 1966-1967 with a single-lane railway track, originally to move bauxite from the West Bank mines to the processsing plant on the East Bank. Over the decades, the ageing structure became a bottleneck.
The new 220-metre precast bridge was constructed by China Railway Construction (Caribbean) Co Ltd.
It mirrors the design of the Bharrat Jagdeo Demerara River Bridge and will have four vehicular lanes and two pedestrian walkways, with clear passage for hopper barges beneath.
Roundabouts on both sides will link it to the Linden-Mabura Road and the wider highway network, and the connecting roads are being expanded to four lanes.
The contract was signed in January 2024, and works started in April that year. The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration has also made the bridge toll-free, a policy decision aimed at cutting travel costs and improving regional connectivity.
The bridge forms part of the road corridor to Brazil. President Ali in a recent announcement noted that more than 120 kilometres of the Linden-to-Brazil road have already been completed
The bridge is a key component of ongoing efforts to strengthen Guyana’s transport infrastructure and improve the movement of people and goods in and out of the region.
It adds to the other major infrastructure of bridges across the country such as the Berbice River Bridge and the Bharrat Jagdeo Demrara River Bridge.
DPI
