The long-awaited Demerara River Bridge achieved another milestone on Monday as the first of its twin towers (P-34, south) was crowned with a design inspired by the Cacique Crown of Honour (C.C.H.), Guyana’s second-highest national award.

When both towers are completed and illuminated, the crowns will stand as cultural markers of national pride, blending heritage with modern engineering and adding a distinctive signature to the country’s skyline.

During a site visit last Thursday, the Guyana Chronicle observed workers assembling the steel structures that will cap the towers. Project Manager Patrick Thompson explained that the crown design was conceptualised by the project’s architects and fabricated overseas.

“In a synopsis, the tower crown has a height of about a two-storey building, so it’s fairly tall, very strong. It’s a steel structure. It was fabricated in China, but it’s being put together on the ground here in Guyana,” Thompson said.

The new US$260 million bridge, being constructed by China Railway Construction Corporation Limited, represents one of the most transformative infrastructure projects in Guyana’s modern history.

Spanning 2.6 kilometres, it will link Region 3 to Region 4, providing round-the-clock, toll-free access.

The four-lane, cable-stayed structure is designed to last 100 years and accommodate vehicles of all sizes, travelling at up to 80 kilometres per hour. Once operational, it is expected to benefit over 50,000 commuters daily and deliver an estimated $3.5 billion in annual savings by eliminating toll fees and reducing fuel consumption and travel time.

Beyond its function as a vital transportation artery, the Demerara River Bridge with its illuminated Cacique Crown of Honour towers will stand as both a symbol of national pride and a marker of Guyana’s rapid infrastructural transformation.