Demerara Harbour Bridge
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, Demerara-Mahaica, East Bank Demerara to Schoon Ord, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara, West Bank Demerara. There is a pedestrian footwalk. A raised section lets small vessels pass under. A retractor span lets large vessels pass.
Demerara Harbour Bridge | |
|---|---|
Demerara Harbour Bridge in 2019 | |
| Coordinates | 6.771916°N 58.18744°W |
| Carries | Cars, pedestrians |
| Crosses | Demerara River |
| Locale | Peter's Hall (Georgetown) to Schoon Ord |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Pontoon bridge |
| Total length | 7,000 metres (23,000 ft) |
| Height | 7.9 metres (26 ft) |
| History | |
| Opened | 2 July 1978 |
| Location | |
The bridge has 61 spans. A high-level span provides a horizontal clearance of 32.0 metres (105.0 feet) and a vertical clearance of 7.9 metres (26 feet) to let small craft pass at all times. To let large craft pass, two retractor spans retract fully once per day to leave a horizontal clearance of 77.4 metres (254 feet).
The number vehicles transiting per day was approximately 9,000 in 2015, and 14,000 as of 2017.
Although the bridge was designed to last ten years, it has been so successful that it has inspired the Berbice Bridge, completed in 2008.