President Irfaan Ali last Thursday revealed that he will soon be meeting with investors to discuss the Berbice River Bridge with the idea of reducing the risk and burden and to allow residents to be in a better place altogether.
“We are hoping in the coming three months to have some discussions, to commence discussions as you know many of the investors in the Berbice River Bridge have asked us to sit down with them to have some discussions, we are going to have that discussion with the investors so that we can come up with a common plan and at the back of our head is how we can ensure that as much as possible we reduce, the risk, we reduce burden, we reduce the cost of production and increase the competitiveness of the region”, Ali told residents in the Upper Corentyne Area.
He stressed, that he was sure with the outcome of the discussions residents of Region Six “will be in a better place.”
In January Ali had said that the government was 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 in the region then, 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 had said then that a plan would soon be put in place.
