–for new Demerara Harbour Bridge

A DUTCH company, Leivense CSO, will be conducting a feasibility study for the construction of a new bridge across the Demerara River.

According to Cabinet Secretary and Minister of State Joseph Harmon, Cabinet approved a request by Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson for the feasibility study to be done. That study is to begin in January 2017.

“It may be recalled that a pre-feasibility study was done by the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Infrastructure in 2013. That study concluded that a new, high level, fixed bridge was the best option to be pursued,” said Harmon.

He told reporters that the Ministry of Public Infrastructure advertised for suitable consultants to conduct a feasibility study that would lead to the construction of the bridge through a Public Private Partnership (PPP).

“The Ministry has since received an offer from a recognised Dutch consultancy firm, Leivense CSO, to conduct the feasibility study and design the new bridge including a detailed investigation for prospective financiers as well as the preparation of a Private Public Partnership tender document,” said the Cabinet Secretary, who made it clear that the services of the Dutch company were acquired through the requisite procurement process.

“It did go through the process,” he stated while noting that he could not state when the feasibility study is likely to be completed.
“I do not have the date when it would be completed but based on the extent of the work that has to be done we are advised that they’d basically try to ‘push it’ so at least we’d have a bridge in a reasonable time.”

Minister Harmon was not in a position to state where the bridge was likely to be located but he explained that during the feasibility study, which followed the pre-feasibility done under the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) administration, a limited area would be considered.

“As I did say they have to consider the PPP model, tender documents, look at various sites that would have been in the pre-feasibility and to determine whether in fact this is something we can go forward with. This is the final stage of feasibilities before we get to construction,” he explained.

According to Leivense CSO’s website, the company is an engineering consultancy which specialises in the fields of infrastructure, environment, construction and pipelines.

“We specialise in engineering, underground piping, environmental and environment, spatial planning and the built environment. Human activities in densely populated and or sensitive areas bring specific infrastructural and environmental issues along with it,” the company said.

Moreover, the company has more than 200 professionals operating from seven offices in the Netherlands, offices in Saudi Arabia and in St Maarten.

“In addition to our Dutch home market we do a lot of projects from abroad, independently or in collaboration with other parties in the Netherlands and abroad. The international focus is in particular ports, water and flood protection, dredging and land reclamation and pipelines.”

The Demerara Harbour Bridge (a floating bridge) was opened on July 2, 1978 and has a length of the 1851 meters (1.15 miles). The bridge has been under constant maintenance over the years.