COMMUTERS and vehicles travelling between Guyana and Suriname aboard the m.v. Canawaima in December 2009 exceeded the numbers for the same month the previous year.

Director/Secretary of Canawaima Management Company, Mr. Ronald Charles, who made the disclosure, told the Guyana Chronicle 3,414 people commuted from the South Drain terminal in Suriname to Guyana last month, as compared to 2,358 for December 2008.

He said the statistics also show that 3,439 people left Moleson Creek in Guyana for Suriname in December 2009, more than the 2,345 for the same period in 2008.

In December 2009, too, 310 vehicles arrived at the Guyana terminal and 333 left for Suriname, again more than the 212 and 215 vehicles, respectively, in 2008.

Meanwhile, Charles said discussions are underway to determine whether it is feasible to construct another acrow-panel bridge or build one of concrete to replace the Jackson Bridge along the access road leading to Moleson Creek.

He said the feasibility is being considered, in light of a proposal by the Drainage and Irrigation (D&I) Department in Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) to build a sluice there.

Following the November 26, 2009 collapse of the bridge, under the weight of a trailer transporting heavy duty equipment, sinking some of the components deep into the mud below, travel by the m.v. Canawaima was temporarily disrupted.

However, an access route was quickly created to allow for the traffic flow and it is still being used.