Suriname - Transportation

Suriname has 1,200 km (746 mi) of navigable waterways. A ferry service across the Corantijn River to Guyana began operating in 1990. There are 166 km (103 mi) of single-track railway, 86 km (53 mi) government owned and the rest industrial. Paramaribo can be reached from any town or village on the coastal plain by good all-weather roads. In 1999, the first of two new bridges connecting the country from East to West along the coast was opened. As of 2002, there were 4,530 km (2,815 mi) of roadways. State-owned and private companies operate regular bus services, both local and long distance. In 2000, there were 34,900 passenger cars and 45,700 commercial vehicles. Total number of airports stood at 46 in 2001, only 5 of which had paved runways. Zanderij International Airport near Paramaribo can handle jet aircraft, and there are small airstrips throughout the interior. The government-owned Suriname Airways offers regularly scheduled service to the Netherlands and Curaçao. In 2001 it carried 202,900 passengers.

Military operations involving the Jungle Commando and the national army badly damaged Albina and the road connecting Moengo to the eastern border. Overall lack of proper maintenance on roads, canals, and port facilities has resulted in a degraded infrastructure and higher local transportation costs.