President Ali orders 24-hr work on Stanleytown bridge to meet December deadline

President Dr Irfaan Ali conducted a late-night inspection of the ongoing Stanleytown bridge construction on the West Bank of Demerara over the weekend, urging the contractor to accelerate progress and maintain a 24-hour work schedule to ensure timely completion.

During the surprise Sunday midnight visit, President Ali walked the site with the contractor, Komal, as they assessed the progress of the four-lane bridge, part of a broader road expansion initiative aimed at easing traffic congestion in the area.

“This is a revetment because the road has to be extended. It’s a four-lane bridge that we want to complete here,” President Ali explained during a livestream of the visit. “I know this is a lot of inconvenience for commuters, but it had to keep the old bridge going because this is the only bridge once we construct this new one.”

The contractor informed the President that the team currently works from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily and is simultaneously constructing two of the three bridges required for the project. “We’re building this one bridge here at the same time while we’re constructing the main canal,” Komal said. “This entire bridge project is expected to be completed by the second week in December. We already have all the pre-cast slabs and main components prepared.”

President Ali, however, pressed for even greater urgency. “We’ve got to increase the work hours and the manpower so that we get this bridge, all three bridges, completed in December,” he emphasized.