The western half of the Demerara Harbour Bridge is to undergo substantial maintenance work in the third quarter of 2016.
According to a GINA press release, the extra-large pontoons at the retractor span which allows large marine vessels to go up and down the river will be replaced, and the work is expected to last for four to five days. The bridge will be closed to marine traffic for that period.
The release quoted the General Manager, Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation, DHBC, Rawlston Adams as saying that, “Only half of the bridge will be opened to allow large vessels to pass.”
“We’re awaiting the delivery of a second pontoon (hollow metal cylinder used with others to support a temporary bridge or floating land stage) to do exactly the same work on the western end of the bridge so once the pontoon is delivered, which should be some time in the third quarter of the year, we will execute the work,” Adams said.
The sum of $150M will be spent on the bridge for continued maintenance this year, the release stated.
On July 8, the DHBC received Cabinet’s approval for $51M to rehabilitate pontoons and fabricate buoys, Adams noted.
“We are currently awaiting the approval from the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) to forward to Cabinet for us to start other works.”
The release added that according to Adams, traffic on the bridge continues to increase, and this can only be remedied by the building of another bridge.
Adams further explained, the release said, that as the economy grows, more persons are relocating to Region Three. “They buy/ import new vehicles, increasing traffic, and that poses a challenge to us with respect to traffic management.”
However, the corporation’s approach to managing the increased traffic is to engage the Guyana Police Force for its assistance in traffic management, getting timely information to the public and requesting commuters to try as much as possible to be on time before the bridge retractions, the release stated.
