Work on the Liliendaal Bridge, Turkeyen is moving apace and contractors are expected to complete reconstruction by July.
Stabroek News understands that the contractor is working to meet this deadline once there is no major interruption from the May/June rains.
To date, the company, H.Nauth and Sons Civil Engineering has removed the asphalt covered surface and has begun to drive piles for the new bridge. This newspaper was told yesterday that 28 concrete piles would be planted to support the columns and additional infrastructure. The piles will descend to a depth of 120 feet.
Earlier this month, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) said the bridge was closed for urgent works. The recommendations for urgent works were made by both a Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) Inspection Team and engineers attached to the Ministry.
Inspections by the DHB showed that one of the panel systems on the northern rail of bridge demonstrated signs of imminent failure. In particular, one of the panels in the system had been detached, rendering the system structurally unstable.
Additionally, a section of the northern carriageway of the bridge also experienced serviceability failure demonstrated by excessive deflection.
A further inspection was subsequently carried out by the MPI team and the engineers concurred with the initial assessment. While works had been slated to commence on the bridge on March 6, 2017, the construction was pushed up due to its urgency.
These works, to the tune of $89M, will see the bridge being converted to a pre-stressed concrete structure over the next four months.
The bridge work has led to heavy traffic on the East Coast highway and jams during the peak hours.