NOT being afraid to praise the PPP/C government for aiming to better the lives of all Guyanese, Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Jermaine Figueira, has lauded the US$35 million Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge project and highlighted the array of opportunities that it will bring for the residents of Region 10.

“We in Region 10, most definitely welcome development. We are not anti-development. We welcome every aspect of development,” the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) executive member recently stated.

For context, on January 5, a US$35 million contract was inked between the Government of Guyana and the China Railway Construction Corporation Limited for the construction of the Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge in Region 10.

The new four-lane, concrete, 220-metre-long bridge will establish the region as a major hub for logistics, connecting not only the regions in Guyana but neighbouring and Caribbean countries.

Figueira, during an interview on ‘Community Talk,’ said that this project will pave the way for Lindeners to get involved in trading.

“It provides the opportunity for regional trade provides a lot of opportunity for Lindeners to get involved in trading, because a lot of goods will be coming from Brazil,” he said.

He added: “And I think with such a bridge being built, more opportunities will be provided for commerce here in the community, and something that we believe that helped boost the economy of Linden and by extension Region 10.”

Figueira stated that the bridge will also serve as a major aid in easing traffic woes because of the increasing number of vehicular crossings in the mining town of Linden.

During the sod-turning ceremony, President Dr Irfaan Ali had said there were about 768,000 vehicular crossings over the existing bridge in 2020. Last year, that figure almost doubled with crossings increasing to about 1.5 million.

The Demerara Bauxite Company (DEMBA) built the current bridge in 1967. Its purpose was to facilitate the transportation of bauxite ore from surrounding mines to a Mackenzie processing facility.