$95M in major bridge repairs for Region 10

-overweight trucks have to slim down

As part of ongoing efforts to upgrade infrastructure in Region Ten, $95M in major repairs will be conducted on the bridge across the Deme-rara River from Linden to Wismar, the Ministry of Public Works and Commu-nication has said. 
According to a Govern-ment Information Agency (GINA) press release, Coordinator of the Works Services Group at the ministry Leon Goring said tenders for the project are being assessed.

After a survey was conducted by the Linden Mining Enterprise Limited Secretariat in November, a restriction of 28.8 tonnes gross vehicle weight was immediately imposed for crossing of the bridge. This access bridge often bears the weight of heavy-duty trucks laden with logs and other timber products being transported from as far as regions eight and nine.
Currently a programme is underway to address the weight limits of heavily-laden vehicles traversing the roadways and bridges, particularly along the Soesdyke/Linden Highway since is has been observed that these vehicles are contributing to the damage of roads and bridges. Based on a preliminary exercise conducted, it was observ-ed that all of the heavy-duty vehicles that traverse the roadways are overweight.

According to GINA the programme was initiated in Linden to control the weight limit on the highway. Several mobile scales were procured and are being used at the bridge from Linden to Wismar and the Demerara Harbour Bridge. Scales were also installed at the Rosignol and New Amsterdam ferry stellings.

Efforts are also being made to obtain and install four fixed scales at various locations countrywide. Recently, the contractor visited the areas where the scales are to be installed and conducted assessments to start the designs.
It is expected that the operators of the targeted vehicles will comply with the necessary weight limits and regulations to ensure that road safety and traffic management are addressed in addition to protecting longevity of the roads and bridges.

Over recent years, various measures have been taken to ensure that the country’s infrastructural network continues to improve. In keeping with this, the Essequibo road and East Bank Demerara four-lane highway were built and the Mahaica to Rosignol road was rehabilitated. Currently the highway from New Amsterdam to Moleson Creek is being rehabilitated.