The Demerara Harbour Bridge is a 6,074-foot (1,851 m) long floating toll bridge . It was commissioned on 2 July 1978. The bridge crosses the Demerara River 4 miles (6.4 km) south of the Guyanese capital Georgetown , from Peter's Hall , Demerara-Mahaica , East Bank Demerara to Schoon Ord, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara , West Bank Demerara. There is a pedestrian footwalk. A raised section lets small vessels pass under. A retractor span lets large vessels pass.
7-428: The bridge has 61 spans. A high-level span provides a horizontal clearance of 32.0 metres (105.0 feet) and a vertical clearance of 7.9 metres (26 feet) to let small craft pass at all times. To let large craft pass, two retractor spans retract fully once per day to leave a horizontal clearance of 77.4 metres (254 feet). The number vehicles transiting per day was approximately 9,000 in 2015, and 14,000 as of 2017. Although
14-425: A new bridge. In August 2017 plans were announced to construct a new bridge two kilometres north of the existing bridge, linking Houston on the eastern bank to Versailles on the western bank. However, breaches in procurement due to "unsolicited proposals" delayed plans. In 2020, a new request for bid was issued, with proposed connection between Nandy Park to the east and Meer Zorgen/La Grange to the west, and construction
21-548: A subsidiary of the Ministry of Public Works (MPW). MMU, however functions independently of the MPW, and maintains a full staff responsible for maintenance, management, construction and operation. MMU also maintains financial independence based on revenue earned from tolls (vehicle and water-borne vessels). They have a staff of about 60 people. In December 2015 tenders were received from twenty-three international and local companies for
28-838: Is now under way. Berbice Bridge The Berbice Bridge is a pontoon bridge over the Berbice River near New Amsterdam in Guyana . The bridge is tolled and was opened on 23 December 2008. With the completion of the Berbice Bridge, and the earlier completion of the Coppename Bridge in Suriname in 1999, the Courantyne River is the only river between the Guyanese capital of Georgetown and
35-523: The Surinamese capital of Paramaribo still left without a bridge. This is due to change in the near future, with plans for a bridge on the Courantyne near South Drain . The bridge doesn't have a pedestrian crossing. It is owned by Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated and tolls are set by a Concession Agreement between the government and the company. In 2018, the government took over ownership of
42-500: The bridge handles one lane of traffic in each direction. On Monday 23 July 2012 at 06:45 Span 61, the western retractor span collapsed during maintenance work, causing it to partly sink, trapping a minibus. No injuries resulted but as all the larger ferries are decommissioned it caused major disruption. The Demerara Harbour Bridge is managed by the Management and Monitoring Unit, Demerara Harbour Bridge Rehabilitation Project (MMU),
49-658: The bridge was designed to last ten years, it has been so successful that it has inspired the Berbice Bridge , completed in 2008. Construction of the Demerara Harbour Bridge began on 29 May 1976. The basic design was by Capt. John Patrick Coghlan, with construction assistance was provided by the British Government. The bridge was only designed to last 10 years, yet it is still in use. Tolls are collected only in east-to-west travel even though
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