A broken transom on the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) was replaced yesterday as maintenance work on the structure continues.
A press release from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said that the maintenance and upgrade works continue as Government persists in its efforts to provide a better service to the thousands of commuters who traverse the Demerara River every day and to aid the smooth flow of traffic across the bridge’s expanse.
The work done yesterday saw the replacement of a broken transom (beam of the bridge) and the bridge was closed for just under two hours to facilitate this. The ongoing maintenance programme follows the extensive work that began last year after President Bharrat Jagdeo described the deterioration of the 30-year-old bridge as “unbelievable, almost criminal” and mandated its management to complete an assessment of the repairs needed to clear the way for Cabinet to intervene.
‘Operation Transom’, which involved work on the retractor span, and the rehabilitation of the ‘chairs’ which support the transoms began in July 2008 and a new management team to oversee the operations of the DHB was installed thereafter, GINA said. The work also includes the rehabilitation of 70 pontoons, replacing one-extra large pontoon and three large pontoons for the bridge’s high span and retractor spans and replacing 320 deck plates. These works were expected to cost some $555M.
The release stated that over the years, significant investments have been made by Government to maintain and upgrade the DHB and generally improve its services. In this regard, there has been replacement of wire ropes, sheaves, shackles, buoys and servicing of winches on the anchorage system. Among the main projects undertaken during the last year was the resurfacing of the structure, which cost $42M. Plans were also in place to fabricate and install 100 mesh panels, repair deckings as required and carry out annual maintenance of the retractor span hydraulic system.
Also, efforts are being made to conduct a feasibility study for a new bridge across the Demerara River. The study will focus on various types of bridges, location and estimated cost of the project, the release stated.
The DHB was constructed in the 1970s and was commissioned on July 2, 1978. It accommodates the crossing of approximately 24,000 commuters daily. It was originally built to last 10 years but was repaired in 1998 through a major European Union (EU) project that cost US$10M which extended its life by another 15 years.
