page_title: Demerara Harbour Bridge
hierarchical_section_title: Demerara Harbour Bridge
caption_attribution_description: We fly over the Demerara Harbour Bridge. The Demerara Harbour Bridge was the world’s longest (1.25 miles/2.01 km) floating bridge when it opened in 1978. (Today it is fourth longest, albeit still the longest all-steel one.) Funded by the British Government and designed, manufactured, and installed by the Thomas Storey company of Stockport, England, the bridge crosses the Demerara River about three miles south of Georgetown, the capital of Guyana. The 61 spans are supported by 114 pontoons.
context_page_description: The Demerara Harbour Bridge is a 6,074-foot long floating toll bridge. It was commissioned on 2 July 1978. 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, connecting Demerara-Mahaica with Essequibo Islands-West Demerara on the west bank. There is a pedestrian footwalk. A raised section lets small vessels pass under. A retractor span lets large vessels pass. Construction of the Demerara Harbour Bridge began on 29 May 1976. Construction assistance was provided by the British Government, but the basic design was by a Guyanese, Capt. John Patrick Coghlan. The bridge was only designed to last 10 years, yet it is still going strong. Tolls are collected only in one direction of travel even though the bridge handles one lane of traffic in each direction. Traffic going west to east pays no toll.
  The bridge has 61 spans. A high-level span provides a horizontal clearance of 32.0 metres and a vertical clearance of 7.9 metres to let small craft pass at all times. To let large craft pass, two retractor spans retract fully to leave a horizontal clearance of 77.4 metres.
context_section_description: 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, East Bank Demerara to Schoon Ord, West Bank Demerara, connecting Demerara-Mahaica (Region 4) with Essequibo Islands-West Demerara (Region 3) on the west bank. There is a pedestrian footwalk.  A raised section lets small vessels pass under.  A retractor span lets large vessels pass.  Construction of the Demerara Harbour Bridge began on 29 May 1976.  Construction assistance was provided by the British Government, but the basic design was by a Guyanese, Capt. John Patrick Coghlan. The bridge was only designed to last 10 years, yet it is still going strong. Tolls are collected only in one direction of travel even though the bridge handles one lane of traffic in each direction. Traffic going west to east pays no toll.
  The bridge has 61 spans. A high-level span provides a horizontal clearance of 32.0 metres (105 ft) and a vertical clearance of 7.9 metres (26 ft) to let small craft pass at all times. To let large craft pass, two retractor spans retract fully to leave a horizontal clearance of 77.4 metres (254 ft).
  As of 2015 9,000 vehicles transit the Demerara Harbour Bridge daily, an increase of 4.8 per cent from the previous year.
caption: Demerara Harbour Bridge in 2019
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