By the month end, the crossing will be fully opened to vehicular traffic.
President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali made the revelation during an impromptu inspection of the road’s construction site on Friday afternoon.
According to the update provided by President Ali, engineers are conducting comprehensive load testing on the bridge to ensure it is structurally sound for all types of traffic.
And the approach road and roundabout, “From what I’ve seen…will also be completed in the course of another three days maximum”, the head of state said.
These final touches will pave the way for the bridge’s timely commissioning, a flagship project of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration.
Beyond the immediate works, plans are also underway to expand the Heroes Highway.
According to the president, two collector lanes will be added to divert traffic directly onto the Haags Bosch interconnection, extending all the way back to Ogle on the East Coast of Demerara.
On the west bank of the bridge, a new collector lane has already been added.
This lane will allow traffic to move directly from the bridge onto the west bank carriageway, bypassing the roundabout on that side.
“These additional works are being completed, so that we can have a beautiful bridge,” the president noted, “but also good traffic management in the process.”
While the immediate focus is on completing the bridge and associated infrastructure, President Ali said plans also include the construction of two flyovers: one on the Heroes Highway and another on the west bank.
“We will see how this design, in terms of traffic management, works. But definitely, with the growth of the traffic, we will have to have an unimpeded flow of traffic coming off the bridge, over the new highway on both sides, going on to the east coast, or the east bank, or the west coast and west bank,” the head of state further explained.
The US$260 million crossing is being constructed by China’s Railway Construction (International) Limited (CRCCL) and will operate 24/7, toll-free, with a maximum speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour.
Its design will also feature the Cacique Crown of Honour (CCH), the country’s second-highest national award in the Order of Service.
More than 50,000 daily commuters are expected to benefit from the new bridge, resulting in an estimated $3.5 billion in annual savings. (Department of Public Information)
