Mackenzie/Wismar Bridge to increase toll

Oct 09, 2014 News

Government yesterday announced that it has approved increasing the toll for the Mackenzie/Wismar Bridge in Linden. Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon told the media yesterday that the administration through its Cabinet has “concurred” on the decision.
At his weekly press briefing, Dr. Luncheon told the media that with the existing arrangement the revenue so gathered, would be shared between the Linden Mayor and Town Council and the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) the party responsible for the upkeep and maintenance.
Dr. Luncheon said that Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn, was recently gazetted as the person with the responsibility and he would be the one signing the ministerial order for the increase.
It was explained that the Linden Interim Management Committee (IMC) will receive some 70 percent of the proceeds while NICIL will get the remaining 30 percent.
NICIL has always been involved in the operations of the bridge and is responsible for its repairs and maintenance. The rate of increases has not been announced as yet.
The Mackenzie/Wismar Bridge links the two shores of the Demerara River at Linden and also serves as the main link to many of the interior regions through the mining town of Linden.
The 50-year-old structure has undergone tremendous repairs costing Linmine some $30M in 1994 after it had been damaged. Linmine had indicated an intention to recoup its expenditure. This was done without increasing the toll to cross the bridge.
The bridge had again undergone major repairs in 2009, but this time, the Government under former President Bharrat Jagdeo pumped in over $100M into the repairs.

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