By The Rio Times | Created at 2026-10-02 07:51:49 | Updated at 2026-10-02 08:48:19
1 hour ago
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GUYANA · INFRASTRUCTURE
Key Facts
- —The country Guyana is a South American country of about 800,000 people whose economy has grown fast since offshore oil began flowing in 2019. Linden, about 100 kilometres south of the capital, is its bauxite-mining town.
- —The background Linden’s two halves, Mackenzie and Wismar, sit on opposite banks of the Demerara River. They have been joined since 1966–1967 by a single-lane bridge built to carry bauxite trains.
- —Why now The old crossing became a bottleneck for the region’s commuters. Its four-lane replacement is days from opening.
- —What happened On Thursday, 1 October 2026, the Ministry of Public Works began load-testing the new 220-metre bridge by driving five heavily loaded trucks onto it.
- —The numbers The bridge cost US$35 million, about US$160,000 per metre. It has four traffic lanes, two footpaths and no toll.
- —What it means for you Drivers heading south from Linden towards the Brazilian border will no longer queue for a single lane.
- —Still open The government says it will open no later than 5 October. The ministry had earlier promised June 2026.
Engineers have begun load-testing the Guyana Linden bridge, a new US$35 million crossing of the Demerara River, days before its planned opening. The Ministry of Public Works drove five heavily loaded trucks onto the 220-metre structure on Thursday, 1 October 2026.
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The four-lane bridge replaces a single-lane span built in the 1960s for bauxite trains. It should end a daily bottleneck in Guyana’s bauxite town, although it opens four months after the June target the ministry set in March.
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What the test involves
A load test checks how a bridge deck bends under known heavy weights before the public is allowed on. The ministry is checking the bridge’s safety, structural integrity and long-term durability, the state news agency DPI reported.
The bridge is a pre-stressed concrete structure with four vehicle lanes and two pedestrian walkways. It leaves clear passage underneath for hopper barges, the flat-bottomed boats that move bulk cargo on the river.
It was built by China Railway Construction (Caribbean) Co Ltd, part of a Chinese state-owned construction group. Roundabouts on both banks connect it to the Linden–Mabura road and the wider highway network.
Why Linden needed it
Linden grew up around bauxite, the ore used to make aluminium. The Demerara Bauxite Company, then owned by Canada’s Alcan, built the old bridge in 1966–1967.
It carried a railway track so ore from west-bank mines could reach the processing plant on the east bank. Guyana nationalised the company in 1971.
Nearly six decades later it carries road traffic in one lane at a time. Drivers wait while vehicles from the other bank cross first.
It had become a significant bottleneck for commuters in Region Ten, the administrative region around Linden, DPI reported.
The Linden–Mabura road is also the first stretch of the route south to Lethem on the border with Brazil. A wider crossing at Linden therefore matters beyond the town itself.
Later than promised
In March the ministry said 97 per cent of the physical works were done. It expected the bridge to be fully operational by June 2026, once connector roads were finished.
Public Works Minister Bishop Juan Edghill now says it will open no later than 5 October. That date is the anniversary of the opening of the new Demerara River bridge near Georgetown, which bears the name of former president Bharrat Jagdeo.
President Irfaan Ali confirmed the timeline last week while speaking to Guyanese living in New York, according to DPI. The ministry’s latest statements do not explain the four-month slip.
Part of a wider building push
Bridges matter more in Guyana than in most countries. Three wide rivers, the Essequibo, the Demerara and the Berbice, cut through the coastal belt where most Guyanese live.
Oil revenue has let the government plan several new crossings. DPI’s May update listed new bridges at Kurupukari, where the road to Brazil crosses the Essequibo, and over the Berbice River.
Others are planned towards Bartica and between the islands of Leguan and Wakenaam.
The same update reported no accidents on the Linden construction sites. The project also required the state water company to move its pipes on both banks.
What comes next
The load test comes days before the planned opening.
If the results are clean, the government plans a formal opening by Monday, 5 October. The reports do not say what will happen to the old bridge.
The project also includes access roads with roundabouts on both banks, which DPI said in May were still under construction.
The bridge will not by itself transform Linden’s economy, which has long depended on bauxite. What it changes is daily travel: a one-lane crossing becomes four lanes, free of charge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Linden in Guyana?
Linden is a bauxite-mining town on the Demerara River, about 100 kilometres south of the capital, Georgetown. Its two halves, Mackenzie and Wismar, face each other across the river.
Will drivers pay a toll on the new bridge?
No. The government describes the new Wismar–Mackenzie bridge as a toll-free crossing.
Who built the bridge and what did it cost?
China Railway Construction (Caribbean) Co Ltd built the 220-metre, four-lane bridge for US$35 million, according to Guyana’s Department of Public Information.
When will it open?
Public Works Minister Bishop Juan Edghill has said it will open no later than 5 October 2026, after load testing that began on 1 October.
Sources: iNews Guyana, Weight testing of new US$35M Wismar-Mackenzie bridge underway ahead of opening, 1 October 2026, Department of Public Information (DPI), Load testing underway on new Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge ahead of opening, 1 October 2026, DPI, press release: New Wismar-Mackenzie Bridge in Linden 97% complete, 9 March 2026, DPI, Wismar/Mackenzie bridge now 95.4 per cent complete, 12 May 2026. All retrieved 2 October 2026.
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