PRIME Minister Moses Nagamootoo on Wednesday justified the toll increases at the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB), contending that such a move will pave the way for it to become financially viable. In an interview conducted by the Department of Public Information (DPI), the Prime Minister said commuters must invest in national development even as he floated the idea of the construction of a modernised harbour bridge across the Demerara River, which will allow for an easier flow of traffic with the assistance of a bypass.
“If you want to enjoy better facilities then initially the commuters must be able to make a deposit on the intention of the Government to have a new bridge,” he said.

Additionally, he alluded to the fact that the Demerara Harbour Bridge has been heavily subsidised. Over a period of five years (2010-2015) approximately $2.5B was pumped into the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation as a form of Government subsidy.
The Prime Minister said on an annual basis, approximately $400M in taxes is used to subsidise the operations of the aged old bridge.
“You need to place on the table that unless you have a cost recovery you will not be able to maintain this bridge or any other bridge,” Prime Minister Nagamootoo said. He said if Guyanese desire a better life then they should be willing to pay a little more.
Guyana Chronicle has been reliably informed that Cabinet has approved increases in tolls for motorcycles and cars to cross the Demerara Harbour Bridge, following a proposal made earlier this year by the corporation’s General Manager Rawlston Adams.
Writing in an OP-ED in the Guyana Chronicle, Director of Public Information, Imran Khan, said that motorcyclists, who now pay “a mere $20, would pay $40; while motor car drivers will now pay $200, instead of the $100 they currently pay.”
According to Khan, there is no proposed increase for minibuses and SUVs, which currently pay $200.
“The increases proposed are marginal, and with the affordability to users firmly in mind. These increases, while not onerous by any means, and while immensely favourable to the tolls charged at the Berbice Bridge, will significantly aid in ensuring that the DHB is not dependent on the national treasury for survival,” Khan wrote.
He said the increases will, in fact, provide relief to the taxpayers of Guyana, who will no longer be asked to so heavily subsidise the operations of the bridge – an entity that is critical to the lives of many who live in Regions 2, 3, and 7.
The Demerara Harbour Bridge was commissioned with a lifespan of 25 years, but through repairs and upgrades, this has since been extended by 13 years. Currently, a feasibility study is being conducted for the construction of a new bridge.
Back in January, the DHBC General Manager, Adams, had reported that some 9,000 vehicles transited the DHB daily in 2015, a 4.8 per cent increase from the previous year; but, overall, incomed earned by the bridge in 2015 declined.
The Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) has reported that while $481M were garnered in revenue from vehicular traffic — an increase of 4.2 per cent over the 2014 revenue — overall, income dipped from $533M in 2014 to $519M in 2015.
Floating at 1.25 miles, the bridge is a strategic link between the eastern and western banks of the Demerara River. When opened in July 1978, the structure was expected to last for only 10 years; but, 37 years later, it is still there.