East-West Link (Suriname)
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The (northern) East-West Link (
Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...
: ''Oost-Westverbinding'') is a
road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...
in Suriname between Albina in the eastern part of the country to
Nieuw Nickerie Nieuw Nickerie. Retrieved 17 November 2009. is the third largest city in Suriname with a population estimated at . It is the capital (political), capital city of the Nickerie District, Nickerie district, and the terminus of the East-West Link (Sur ...
in the western part, via the capital city of
Paramaribo Paramaribo ( , , ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname's p ...
. The southern East-West Link connects Paramaribo with
Apoera Apoera, also Apura, is a town in western Suriname. The village has a population of 777 people as of 2020. It owns the community of Tropica. It is the final destination of the Southern East-West Link. north-west on the other side of the Courantyn ...
via
Bitagron Witagron (or Bitagron) is a Kwinti people, Kwinti village in Suriname on the Coppename River at the crossing of the Southern East-West Link (Suriname), East-West Link from Paramaribo to Apoera in West-Suriname. In the local language ''Bitagron'' ...
. Construction of the road link started in the 1960s.


Overview


Bridges

In recent years, various ferries on the East-West Link route have been replaced with bridges. There is a bridge near Groot Henar spanning the
Nickerie River The Nickerie River is a river in the northwestern part of Suriname. The river originates in the Bakhuis Mountains and then flows to the North where it forms part of the border between the Coronie and Nickerie districts. The river then turns W ...
. In 1980, a bridge was built on the
Commewijne River Commewijne River (Sranan Tongo: ''Kawina-liba'') is a river in northern Suriname. It originates in the jungle 100 or more miles southeast of Paraibo and meanders northwest until it receives the meandering Cottica River from the east and then ru ...
near
Stolkertsijver Stolkertsijver is a town in the Commewijne District of Suriname. It is situated on the East-West Link. At Stolkertsijver, a bridge spanning the Commewijne River was built in 1970s. The village was named after the Stolkertsijver plantation, also ...
. Since 1999, the Coppename Bridge connects
Jenny Jenny may refer to: * Jenny (given name), a popular feminine name and list of real and fictional people * Jenny (surname), a family name Animals * Jenny (donkey), a female donkey * Jenny (elephant), a female elephant in the German Army in Worl ...
with Boskamp, and since 2000 the
Jules Wijdenbosch Bridge The Jules Wijdenbosch Bridge (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Jules Wijdenboschbrug''), also called Suriname bridge and known locally as Bosje Brug, is a bridge over the Suriname River between the capital city Paramaribo and Meerzorg in the Commewijne Di ...
connects
Paramaribo Paramaribo ( , , ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname's p ...
with
Meerzorg Meerzorg (Sranan Tongo: Ansu) is a town and resort (municipality) in Suriname, located on the eastern bank of the Suriname River, directly opposite the capital Paramaribo. Its population at the 2012 census was 12,405. Since 2000 it has been connect ...
. On the southern East-West Link,
bailey bridge A Bailey bridge is a type of portable, Prefabrication, pre-fabricated, Truss Bridge, truss bridge. It was developed in 1940–1941 by the British Empire in World War II, British for military use during the World War II, Second World War and saw ...
s spanning the
Coppename River The Coppename is a river in Suriname (South America) in the district of Sipaliwini, forming part of the boundary between the districts of Coronie and Saramacca. Course The Coppename river begins in the Wilhelmina Mountains. Its tributaries are ...
and Nickerie River were built near
Bitagron Witagron (or Bitagron) is a Kwinti people, Kwinti village in Suriname on the Coppename River at the crossing of the Southern East-West Link (Suriname), East-West Link from Paramaribo to Apoera in West-Suriname. In the local language ''Bitagron'' ...
and Kamp 52 respectively. The bridge spanning the
Saramacca River Saramacca River is a river in Suriname. The Arawaks named this river "Surama", and today's name "Saramacca" is probably derived from it. It originates in the Wilhelmina Mountains and flows northwards and enters the Atlantic Ocean together with t ...
between
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and
Uitkijk Uitkijk is a village in the resort of Kampong Baroe in the Saramacca District of Suriname. The village is located on the Saramacca River. History The village started as a wood plantation, In 1778, a military outpost was established at Uitkijk, b ...
was opened on 25 June 2011.


Reconstruction

The road is in a bad state on several parts of the route, partly due to damage because of the
Suriname Guerrilla War The Surinamese Interior War () was a civil war fought in eastern Suriname between 1986 and 1992. The conflict primarily involved the Jungle Commando, a rebel group composed largely of Saramaka (Maroon) fighters and led by former soldier Ronnie ...
. Various revitalization projects have been started.


Western East-West Link

A 32-kilometre-long section between
Nieuw Nickerie Nieuw Nickerie. Retrieved 17 November 2009. is the third largest city in Suriname with a population estimated at . It is the capital (political), capital city of the Nickerie District, Nickerie district, and the terminus of the East-West Link (Sur ...
and the ferry near South Drain was not paved until recently. The
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
funded the reconstruction, which started in 2007, with 13.2 million euro. The section was due to be completed in the first quarter of 2010. There is a
jeep trail Jeep trail is a term originating in the United States to designate unpaved roads designed and maintained for use solely by high-clearance four-wheel drive (4WD) vehicles, regardless of the vehicle manufacturer. Only the more difficult unpaved roads ...
between South Drain and Apoera, connecting the Northern East-West Link with the Southern East-West Link. Contrary to earlier plans, the pavement of this road is not imminent.


Eastern East-West Link

The eastern part of the East-West Link, that is the section between
Meerzorg Meerzorg (Sranan Tongo: Ansu) is a town and resort (municipality) in Suriname, located on the eastern bank of the Suriname River, directly opposite the capital Paramaribo. Its population at the 2012 census was 12,405. Since 2000 it has been connect ...
and Albina, is being repaved with funds from the European Union, the
Agence française de développement The French Development Agency (, AFD), known from 1992 to 1998 as the Caisse Française de Développement (CFD, ), is a public financial institution that implements France's development and international solidarity policies. It works to fight pov ...
and the
Inter-American Development Bank The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB or IADB) is an international development finance institution headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States of America. It serves as one of the leading sources of development financing for the countri ...
. In August 2009, a Project Executing Unit (PEU) was installed, whose task it is to safeguard quality guidelines, project planning, and the total budget of
USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...
140 million. The project entails a total section of 138 kilometres and the rehabilitation is planned to be finished in 30 months’ time. The reconstruction will adhere to the standards of the
Initiative for the Integration of the Regional Infrastructure of South America The Initiative for the Integration of the Regional Infrastructure of South America (IIRSA) is a development plan to link South America's economies through new transportation, energy, and telecommunications projects. IIRSA investments are expected t ...
(IIRSA). In March 2010, the Dutch company MNO Vervat was to begin repaving the road between
Tamanredjo Tamanredjo ( Javanese: ꦠꦩꦤꦽꦗ; ) is a resort and town in Suriname, located in the Commewijne District Commewijne may refer to: * Commewijne District * Commewijne River {{geodis