Canadian gold mining company Aris Mining is investing about US$10 million in the construction of a steel and concrete bridge at Puruni — a venture that will replace the existing pontoon system and should help spur greater economic activity in the mining area in Region Seven.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the new bridge was held on Saturday. It is anticipated that the bridge will be completed by year-end; the project also includes the development of key access roads. Once complete, the bridge will be toll-free.
The investment will support an already productive economic corridor encompassing nearly 500 mining properties and concessions, as well as several large forestry concessions. Improved connectivity will facilitate the movement of workers, equipment, fuel, timber, mining supplies and other goods.
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Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat said the project is much-needed.
"With the volume of traffic and the increase in activities, the pontoon now is basically rendered irrelevant. Miners and loggers complain about waiting hours to cross the river," Bharrat said on Saturday.
Aris Mining is developing the Toroparu gold project in Region Seven. Minister Bharrat said more than US$800 million is being spent to develop the mine, and hundreds of jobs are expected.
As part of its work in Guyana, the company committed to fully funding the Puruni Bridge. Aris Mining Country Manager Adrian Rollke said the company sees the bridge as a critical connection linking Guyana's interior with the wider economy.
China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) — the company which built the Bharrat Jagdeo Demerara River Bridge — is constructing the new Puruni Bridge.
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