The Berbice Bridge is a
pontoon bridge
A pontoon bridge (or ponton bridge), also known as a floating bridge, uses float (nautical), floats or shallow-draft (hull), draft boats to support a continuous deck for pedestrian and vehicle travel. The buoyancy of the supports limits the maxi ...
over the
Berbice River
The Berbice River, located in eastern Guyana, is one of the country's major rivers. It rises in the highlands of the Rupununi region and flows northward for through dense forests to the coastal plain. The river's tidal limit is between from the ...
near
New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam ( nl, Nieuw Amsterdam, or ) was a 17th-century Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''factory'' gave rise ...
in
Guyana
Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
. The
bridge is tolled and was opened on 23 December 2008.
With the completion of the Berbice Bridge, and the earlier completion of the
Coppename Bridge
The Coppename Bridge (Dutch: ''Coppenamebrug'') is a bridge over the Coppename River in Suriname, part of the East-West Link.
The bridge links Jenny in the Coronie District with Boskamp in the Saramacca District. It was opened in 1999, a year b ...
in
Suriname
Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...
in 1999, the
Courantyne River
The Courantyne/Corentyne/Corantijn River is a river in northern South America in Suriname and Guyana. It is the longest river in the country and creates the border between Suriname and the East Berbice-Corentyne region of Guyana.
Its tributarie ...
is the only river between the Guyanese capital of
Georgetown and the Surinamese capital of
Paramaribo
Paramaribo (; ; nicknamed Par'bo) is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname's ...
still left without a bridge. This is due to change in the near future, with plans for a bridge on the Courantyne near
South Drain. The bridge doesn't have a pedestrian crossing.
It is owned by Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated and tolls are set by a Concession Agreement between the government and the company. In 2018, the government took over ownership of the bridge as a reaction to the 360% increase in toll, citing Sections 4 (1) and 11 of the Berbice River Bridge Act in the interest of public safety.
See also
*
List of bridges in Guyana
Guyana is known as the "Land of many rivers", so bridges are an important aspect of the country's transportation infrastructure. Guyana suffers from infrastructural weakness, and many bridges were poorly built or have failed to receive proper main ...
References
External links
Berbice Bridge webpage
Road bridges in Guyana
Pontoon bridges
Toll bridges
New Amsterdam, Guyana
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