The temporary schedule adopted to facilitate the $174M rehabilitation works was discontinued last Thursday as key works to the main wooden decking of the bridge were completed. The structure is the lone bridge that spans the Demerara River at Linden.
According to the Public Works Ministry official Walter Willis, there is still some work to be done to sections under the bridge, including the western abutment (the section where bridge connects to the land). “In my estimation this work would not take more than a month to complete. The works have taken quite a long time and my bosses feel that it shouldn’t have taken so long but I am satisfied that the time taken is justifiable because of the extent of the repairs that had to be done,” Willis noted. Three steel piles are also to be repaired.
Presently, the contractors are off the job to procure supply and service some key equipment before returning. Upon their return, Willis said that the restriction to the flow of traffic would be minimal and would be directed mainly to the allowable weight of heavier trucks as opposed to pedestrian crossing and the passage of small vehicles.
The initial budget climbed from $114M to $174M and according to Willis if the supervisors of the works, the Linmine Secretariat, should identify any other defects that are classified as critical and need to be addressed during this period, the works would have to be effected.
“If this bridge is left as is, it wouldn’t last very long. It is very uneven and they need to run some strips longitudinally,” opined one commuter. In support of this, the Linmine Secretariat’s engineer Emette Alves said that only one section of the wooden decking has been completed.
He explained that because of the bolt and nut system being used on that section, vehicles are being allowed to travel over the completed section to allow it to settle. “When they return (the contractors) they would have to run some strips along the wooden decking because as it is it is very uneven and so we want it to be properly bedded before. But to say when they would return to work I am not in a position to say,” said Alves.
No definite time was given by Willis or Alves as to when the remainder of the works would resume but until such time the Secretariat would continue to monitor the weight of heavy trucks crossing the structure. It is anticipated that upon completion of all the works the bridge would be able to accommodate a maximum of 60 tonnes.
Until such time, the allowable weight of 40 tonnes still holds.
