The Demerara Harbour Bridge is a 6,074 feet long floating toll bridge. It was commissioned on 2 July 1978. It was considered the longest floating bridge at the time of construction. The bridge crosses the Demerara River 4 miles 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 allows for small vessels to pass under. A retractor span allows for passing of large vessels. Construction of the Demerara Harbour Bridge began on 29 May 1976. Construction assistance was provided by the British Government. July 2 is the 183rd day of the year (184th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 182 days remaining. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... The Demerara River is a river in eastern Guyana that rises in the central rainforests of the country and flows to the north for 346 kilometres without tributaries until it reaches the Atlantic Ocean. ... Victoria Law Courts Georgetown, estimated population 250,000 (1998), is the capital and largest city of Guyana, located in the Demerara-Mahaica region. ... May 29 is the 149th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (150th in leap years). ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1976 calendar). ...

The bridge is approximately 1.25 miles long and has 61 spans. A high-level span provides a horizontal clearance of 32.0 metres (105 feet) and a vertical clearance of 7.9 metres (26 feet) to permit small craft to pass at all times. In order to permit the passage of large craft, two retractor spans retract fully to leave a horizontal clearance of 77.4 metres (254 feet).

History

The expanding country needed a way to transport and link it's people. Most of the country's population lives within 80 miles of Georgetown and it is important to link these people together. The only thing keeping Georgetown apart from West Bank Demerara was the Demerara River. The government decided to construct a floating bridge to accommodate growing business and trade across Guyana.