THE nine prequalified bidders for the new Demerara Harbour Bridge will be invited, this week, to tender, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali has announced.
Bidders for this project will be expected to submit their bids within three months of receiving the bid documents, after which, construction will commence.
They were advised by the relevant authorities that they will be required to bid on two options: first, a design-build and finance option, and second, a design-build-operate and finance option.
The prequalified entities are Ballast Nedam Infrastructure Suriname BV; Odebrecht Engenharia e Construcao SA; Boskalis Guyana; Effiage Genie Civil Company Ltd (Netherlands); Rizzani de Eccher Construction (Italy); China State Construction Engineering Corp; China Gezhouba Group Company Limited; JV China Railway International Group; China Road and Bridge Company; and China Railway Construction Corporation Ltd. Some of the companies have partnered to bid for the project.
While an estimated cost has not yet been announced, the new ‘fly-over’ Demerara Harbour Bridge is expected to stretch from Nandy Park on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) to La Grange on the West Bank of Demerara (WBD).

This new four-lane high-span bridge, which is scheduled to be completed in two years after the commencement of work, will replace the existing structure which was built in 1976, over four decades ago. “We expect the bridge to be completed and delivered within 24 months from the commencement of its construction,” President Ali said during a press conference at State House, on Wednesday. Following an inspection of the proposed site for the new bridge, in September 2020, President Ali had said: “There is no time and we cannot have too many time lapses… the current bridge is limping along and that is a nice way to put it.” The President, on Wednesday, again referred to the need for enhanced infrastructure, especially to alleviate the traffic woes related to travel from Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) to Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica).
In his view, the existing infrastructure does not allow for an increase in productivity, as persons travelling from Region Three would spend close to three hours in traffic.

With this being the case, President Ali reiterated his Government’s commitment to investing in transformational infrastructure like the new Demerara Harbour Bridge.
It was reported that while the bridge is the main focus, the Government’s transportation plan is not just a “connection plan” as the project will also include “service/feeder” roads to support the main highways. “The alignment would connect to a four-lane alignment on Haags Bosch or Bagotville Road and that will be developed into a four-lane facility between the new four-lane (Ogle-East Bank bypass road) and what will be the older four-lane,” President Ali had said in September.
The interconnections created by the new project will allow for a smooth flow of traffic and even create an alternative linkage between the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) and EBD.