Some 40 private properties are in the path of the US$260M bridge being built to link the western and eastern banks of the Demerara River. These properties are located in Nandy Park and Continental Park. The government is actively engaging those property owners through the Ministries of Legal Affairs, Housing and Water and Public Works.
Speaking on those engagements recently, Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall said that property owners have expressed no objection to relocation. He, however, emphasized the necessity of reaching a mutual agreement regarding the compensation amount to be provided to them.
Property owners are currently being offered a range of compensation choices, such as monetary, land allocation exclusively, house and land packages, or a combination of house, land, and monetary compensation – all contingent upon the assessed value of their property.
The AG emphasised, “At the end of the day, the government is doing everything possible to ensure that the process is not an antagonistic one and that the private property owner is satisfied that he has received market value and adequate compensation for his property that is being acquired for the public purpose of the construction of the bridge and those are the principles that are guiding the government’s interactions.”
The construction of the multimillion-dollar Demerara River Bridge has been on the nation’s to-do list for decades, as worry over the “lifespan” of the existing structure began to mount.
In 2022, a contract worth US$260 million was granted to a collaborative effort among China Railway Construction Corporation (International) Limited, China Railway Construction (Caribbean) Co., Ltd, and China Railway Construction Bridge Engineering Bureau Group Co., Ltd.
This state-of-the-art bridge is designed as a hybrid structure, featuring a contemporary four-lane design, complete with a dedicated cycle lane, offering a driving surface extending approximately 23.6 meters (77.8 feet) and boasting an estimated lifespan of around 100 years.
