“The Demerara Harbour Bridge is a 6,074-foot (1,851 m) long floating toll bridge. It was commissioned on 2 July 1978. The bridge crosses the Demerara River 4 miles (6.4 km) south of the Guyanese capital Georgetown, from Peter’s Hall, East Bank Demerara to Schoon Ord, West Bank Demerara. There is a pedestrian footwalk. A raised section lets small vessels pass under. A retractor span lets large vessels pass. Construction of the Demerara Harbour Bridge began on 29 May 1976. Construction assistance was provided by the British Government, but the basic design was by a Guyanese, Capt. John Patrick Coghlan. The bridge was only designed to last 10 years, yet it is still going strong [now some 28 years later]. Toll is collected only in one direction of travel even though the bridge handles one lane of traffic in each direction. Traffic going west to east pays no toll.
“The bridge is exactly 1.25 miles (2.01 km) long and has 61 spans. A high-level span provides a horizontal clearance of 32.0 metres (105 ft) and a vertical clearance of 7.9 metres (26 ft) to let small craft pass at all times. To let large craft pass, two retractor spans retract fully to leave a horizontal clearance of 77.4 metres (254 ft).” – Wiki
(Picture: The Vital Link, East Bank Demerara, Guyana)
