The Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) was re-opened at 6 last evening after being closed for 65 hours to facilitate the replacement of its #9 span at a cost of some $1.2 billion.
INFAB and E.C Vieira were awarded the contract for the replacement of the span.
Minster of Public Works, Juan Edghill, announced that between 11.30 am and 1 pm yesterday, marine traffic flowed through the bridge in both directions. He expressed gratitude for an accident-free process and to commuters who crossed the river in boats during the period. The replacement of the span and other works on the bridge were completed six hours ahead of schedule.
During the days of closure commuting from West Demerara to the city fell significantly.
Edghill noted that permission was sought at Cabinet level for the closure of the bridge for eight days which was rejected. It was brought down to five days and again rejected, at which point President Irfaan Ali contacted the contractors and requested closure for three days instead. Before the replacement of span 9, the bridge was only allowed to open 54 metres wide, however, the newly-installed new span will be open to a width of 70 meters to allow for the safe transit of vessels.
Thousands of commuters were transported in an orderly manner via boats across the Demerara River for the past three days without adverse reports.
General Manager of the Demerara Harbour Bridge, Wayne Watson, stated that the task seemed impossible at first but after a revision of the plan, it was determined that the task could be completed in three days. Approximately 3 to 5 hours before the actual removal of the old span and the installation of its replacement, the river conditions were deemed favourable, and as a result all opportunities were fully exploited. Critical work on the high span of the bridge was executed and completed at 3 pm on Wednesday by E.C. Vieira. INFAB and workers from the DHB completed the instillation of span 9 while other DHB personnel moved to two other locations on the bridge and replaced several fractured components of the bridge.
Watson declared that the bridge is safe and sound.
Director General of the Maritime Administration Department, Stephen Thomas, remarked that the process demanded pooling all resources to support the operation on the DHB. He highlighted that planning was key to the success of the replacement. The timing coincided with the neap tides, whereas if it were the spring tide, the small boats would have been unable to transport passengers to Wales. Several boats from Parika were deployed to Vreed-en-Hoop to accommodate the large volume of commuters at that location on a 24-hour basis.
Georgetown Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner Simon McBean, disclosed that a total of 300 ranks from three divisions were dispatched to various locations on a 24-hour basis. No major incidents were reported during the operation.
Coast Guard Executive Officer, Lieutenant Commander David Shamsudeen, said that a total of four vessels were patrolling the river to ensure boat operators and passengers wore their life-jackets.
Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar reported several bookings backed up for the transportation of goods from Region Two to regions Three and Four resulting in some commodities being in short supply and gas stations inventories to drop. Patients in hospitals were stalled in some cases because ambulances were unable to bring them to Georgetown.
Prime Minister Mark Phillips, performing the functions of President, applauded the team for excellent communication and coordination that resulted in success. Several regions were affected due to the closure of the bridge including regions One, Two, Three, and Seven while people, goods, and services suffered some inconvenience.
The new DHB is expected to be completed at the end of 2024. The current one has been in existence since 1978.
The collaborative team comprised of the Ministry of Public Works, Maritime Administration Department, Demerara Harbour Bridge, Guyana Police Force and Guyana Defence Force. (Shuntel Glasgow)
The team that collaborated to accomplish the replacement of span 9, including the Guyana Police Force, Guyana Defence Force, Maritime Administration Department, the Demerara Harbour Bridge and the Ministry of Public Works.
