President Irfaan Ali says the government is working towards playing a greater role in the Berbice Bridge Company Inc (BBCI) to reduce the tolls for the benefit of citizens.
At the sod-turning ceremony for the New Amsterdam Hospital on Sunday, he said: “We are in the process at the policy level of formulating a plan to work with the investors in the Berbice Bridge to have the government play a greater role because now we have to carry the maintenance cost, and all of this is aimed to make it much, much easier and cheaper for you to cross the Berbice River.”
Berbicians and people accessing the county have long complained about the high toll costs with motor cars being charged $1900 to cross.
For years, BBCI has tussled with various governments over the fact that scheduled toll increases were not permitted. This had left the bridge company’s finances in a precarious state. The major shareholders in the bridge company are the National Insurance Scheme with 20%, New GPC with 20%, Queens Atlantic Investment with 20% and Secure International Finance Corporation with 20%.
While not giving a specific time frame, Ali said that a plan would soon be put in place.
Meanwhile, according to the President, with an understanding of the future needs of the region, they have already accelerated the plan for a “fixed high crossing bridge across the Berbice River just like the one we are building now in the Demerara River.”
Additionally, he said, that they are also in the final process of the signing between Guyana and Suriname for the building of the bridge across the Corentyne River.
In 2022, the Central Corentyne Chamber of Commerce (CCCC) wrote to the Government of Guyana regarding the possibility of the government taking over ownership of the bridge to reduce tolls.
The CCCC in its letter to Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, on March 29, 2022, which was copied to President Ali, Attorney General Anil Nandlall, and Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, pointed out that the APNU+AFC after assuming office in 2015 had reduced the toll to cross the Berbice Bridge for a regular vehicle from $2,200 to $1,900 “and had made a pledge to take measures annually thereon to have the tolls reduced to an amount considered acceptable to users of the bridge.”
However, the Chamber pointed out that this never materialized and that the APNU+AFC government was then voted out of office
The Chamber then also commended Ali’s government for removing the entire excise tax on fuel and subsidizing the cost of water and electricity, stressing that “to further help in alleviating the cost of living in Berbice, we feel a significant reduction – a minimum of 50% cost in the bridge tolls should be facilitated.”
However, the CCCC acknowledged that presently it would not be feasible for the BBCI to grant such reductions that could have a “tangible economic impact” on the lives of Berbicians and every citizen using the bridge. “For this reason, we are humbly requesting that the government negotiate with the owners of the bridge with a view to have one hundred percent ownership. Having achieved this, a toll can be computed with consideration towards the administration and maintenance of the bridge”, it said.
