A scheduled reclosing of the Berbice Bridge went wrong last evening, leaving countless persons on both sides of the river stranded as technicians worked on fixing the malfunction.
The bridge had been scheduled to open from 3:35 PM to 5:05 PM to allow sea traffic to pass. However, the scheduled reclosing time passed while the bridge remained opened.
According to a release from the Ministry of Public Works, the Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated (BBCI) reported that it had encountered difficulties in reclosing the bridge, difficulties which are thought to be of “an electronic nature.”
Both banks of the Berbice River were soon swamped with vehicles and the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) mobilised its passenger barge the Bonasika to assist in moving commuters between New Amsterdam and Rosignol, Public Works Ministry said.
“Additional vessels will be brought into service to help alleviate this situation by Saturday morning. Until this matter is resolved, only essential travel is advised,” the release further said.
Technicians from the BBCI along with those from the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) and the Guyana Sugar Corporation (Guysuco) were called in and joined their forces to try to resolve the issue.
