GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Aug 26, CMC – The minority opposition Alliance for Change (AFC) Monday called for “rigorous scrutiny and transparency” in the construction of a new Berbice River Bridge.
On Sunday, President Irfaan Ali said that the new bridge will be a massive, modern structure quite similar to the new Demerara Harbour Crossing currently under construction.
He said the new bridge is expected to replace the floating structure built in 2008 and that the government has already issued a Request for Prequalification for contractors undertaking this venture.
“The bridge will cater for the expansion that will take place at Palmyra, the gas project that will be built in Region Six, and also the development of an industrial park with the port facilities that will support these services,” Ali told the pro-government on line publication, News Room.
But, the AFC, which was part of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) government that lost the controversial March 2, 2020 elections, said the construction of such a facility will cost hundreds of millions of U.S dollars which far exceeds the cost of the existing Berbice Bridge which was built in 2008.
“While the AFC is not opposed to development and modernization, we emphasize the need for responsible governance, especially when it involves substantial public expenditure. The AFC calls on the government to immediately release the findings of any pre-feasibility study that has informed the decision to proceed with this new bridge project.
“We also expect that a comprehensive feasibility study and an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) will be conducted and made available to the public before any further steps are taken,” the AFC said.
It said among the concerns is that the current Berbice Bridge operates under a concessional agreement that runs until 2030 and it is questioning whether the government intends to prematurely terminate the existing agreement, and if so, what compensation will be provided to the Berbice Bridge Company.
In addition, the opposition party wants to know about the financial viability of the existing bridge since concerns were earlier raised that it had been operating at a loss.
“The existing Berbice Bridge, which cost US$40 million, was initially criticized for its questionable feasibility. The then-PPP (People’s Progressive Party) government resorted to a controversial public-private partnership (PPP) model, aspects of which are still under judicial review. The AFC urges the government to avoid repeating past mistakes by ensuring that this new project is based on solid, transparent, and publicly available data,” the AFC said.
It said is also concerned that the decision to build a new bridge may be based on flawed assumptions and questions if an assessment has been done for a feasibility of the bridge and if not, why is it still being pursued.
“The AFC reminds the government that despite Guyana’s newfound oil wealth, the country’s needs far exceed its revenues. It is imperative that every dollar spent yields maximum returns for the benefit of all Guyanese. Reckless spending on projects that lack clear feasibility and do not offer foreseeable benefits in the short and medium term will place an undue financial burden on future generation.”
The AFC is calling on the government to provide the public with all relevant studies and assessments related to the new Berbice River Bridge project.
President Ali told the News Room that the government is also looking at ways of supporting commuters alongside the investment in new infrastructure.
“… in the coming days, the cabinet will be discussing an approach in relation to improving competitiveness, cost of transportation, and also the efficiency of moving goods and services and people on both in both on both the Demerara River Bridge and the Berbice River Bridge,” Ali said.
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