The contract for the Corentyne River Bridge, linking Guyana to Suriname, is expected to be signed by October.
This is according to an announcement made by the Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, during the Second High-Level Decision Makers meeting on Wednesday with Suriname’s Public Works Minister, Dr. Riad Nurmohamed.
Minister Edghill said that consultancy for the bridge has concluded and the design has been jointly decided on by the Governments of Guyana and Suriname.
The Feasibility Study and detailed design for the Corentyne River Bridge was completed by consultancy firm WSP Caribbean.
The tender document has already been issued to the five (5) prequalified contractors, namely China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), Ballast Nedam Infra Suriname B.V. and China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), among others.
Guyana’s subject Minister indicated that competent companies are welcome to bid for the contract. He further noted that the deadline for bids is August 1, 2023.
Minister Edghill says both Governments are aiming to have the contract for the bridge finalized by October of this year to allow for the mobilization of material followed by the commencement of construction.
Meanwhile, Suriname’s Minister of Public Works, Dr Riad Nurmohamed has voiced his satisfaction with the progress.
The Corentyne River Bridge will be constructed via a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement and according to the Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Maintain model (DBFOM).
This means that the successful contractor of the joint venture will be responsible for its final design, construction, financing, operation, and maintenance.
The bridge will link Guyana and Suriname by an island in the Corentyne River.