The government is looking to award the contract for the new high-span Berbice River Bridge before the end of 2026, while efforts are underway to schedule the next high-level meeting with Suriname on the proposed Corentyne River Bridge.
President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali provided the update during a press conference at his Shiv Chanderpaul Drive office in Georgetown, on Friday.
“The technical evaluation team is working on this issue. Issues of financing, structuring of that financing and term sheets are being discussed,” he said. “So, I am hoping that long before the end of this year, we can have an award.”
The new four-lane, high-span bridge will replace the existing floating structure. Seven pre-qualified firms were asked to submit price quotations, and the government has already acquired about 50 properties on the eastern side of the river for the project.
A preferred bidder was identified in 2025. In May, President Ali said financing arrangements were nearly in place, and the final price was close to being agreed.
The government allocated about $12.2B in the 2026 National Budget for the Berbice Bridge and other major bridge projects.
Accordingly, the next bilateral meeting with Suriname on the Corentyne River Bridge is scheduled to be held in Guyana. The government hopes to fix a date before the end of the year.
“At those meetings we will have all of the issues, challenges, opportunities identified and dealt with,” he noted.
Bilateral discussions on the bridge advanced after Guyana and Suriname concluded a memorandum of understanding in 2020. The bridge is estimated to cost US$236 million and would span 3.1 kilometres, connecting Moleson Creek in Guyana to South Drain in Suriname.
