Daily traffic on harbour bridge close to 9,000

– new bridge feasibility study for this year

Traffic crossing the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) has increased to close to 9,000 vehicles one-way per day, even as plans for a replacement remain at the feasibility study stage, the Ministry of Public Works informed yesterday.

That study is part of the Ministry’s projected plans for 2015, Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation General Manager Rawlston Adams told the media yesterday during a press conference held at the Ministry of Public Works at Kingston, Georgetown.

Adams noted that many believe the present bridge has outlived its usefulness but stated that works on the structure have been ongoing to maintain and extend its lifetime.

Talks about a feasibility study for a new Demerara River bridge have been doing the rounds since 2013, when a pre-feasibility study was completed. This followed the collapse of a section of the bridge in July 2012, which caused severe disruption and left thousands of commuters stranded.

Minister of Public Works Robeson Benn said the design and type of structure is still being looked at, while similar structures in developed countries will be observed and assessed in deciding on the best option for Guyana.

Meanwhile, Adams said 2014 had seen a five per cent increase of one-way vehicular traffic in comparison to 2013.

The average daily one-way vehicular traffic was recorded as 8,890 last year, compared with 8,458 in 2013. Adams said thrice in December the one-way traffic was in excess of 11,000. The increase in the numbers is a result of the development of the new housing schemes and the concomitant demand for vehicles.

The DHB was said to have raked in an increase in income of 15.4 per cent last year, 12.7 per cent of which came from vehicular tolls. Marine tolls saw a decrease in 1.30 per cent, while other revenue, which includes contractual work and asphalt plant sales, increased by 72.23 per cent. Total income in 2014 was $533,229,382 compared with $462,133,905 garnered in 2013.

Adams said management was exploring new avenues in managing traffic issues affecting the bridge.

He added that there was an increase of retraction time, which resulted from the increase in vehicles. The average retraction time in 2013 was 50 minutes, while last year it was 55 minutes.

He said consideration was being given to having the retraction at night, as this might reduce the amount of traffic on the East Bank road.

Meanwhile, expenditure increased last year by 18.3 per cent with a total of $437,070,603 being spent, compared with $369,468,166 in 2013.

Some of the works done on the floating bridge in 2014 included the installation of cluster piles and retractor span, installation of pivots, installation of gunwales on distribution beams and new A-frames, fabrication of buoys and installation of navigation lights along with the commissioning of a wireless data transmission link. Cummings Electrical has also installed of new retractor power cables.

A tower has been installed, Adams said, adding that this is a breakthrough in linking departments. It covers a range of ten miles and can monitor operations within that domain. Once staff members sign in that information is automatically fed to the Demerara Harbour Bridge, he stated.

There is also a direct link with the police, who are able to monitor the operations of the bridge via a link that feeds information from cameras installed in the toll station. Adams said that previously, police officers were required to travel to the location in order to do their job.

The Harbour Bridge has been in operation since 1978.