The Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) can continue to operate indefinitely, according to engineer Joseph Holder, a former project manager for the bridge including during its construction.
In relation to the bridge’s design life, Holder, in a collection of papers on the bridge’s history, argues that there is no document signed by any engineer who took part in the design of the DHB that states its design life. It is not the practise of bridge designers to state a design life for their creations, he said, while adding that such a statement is meaningless. To illustrate, he asked what the design life of St George’s Cathedral is and said that there is usually no answer to this question when it is directed to persons who state that the DHB is past its design life.
“The DHB is comprised primarily of steel modules which may be replaced when circumstances require, as is the case with wooden boards on St George’s Cathedral. With replacements of components, the DHB can be given a prolonged and indefinite life like
