APNU/AFC foot-dragging on DHB repairs now being corrected – Edghill

…$623M in supplementary funds necessary to save bridge

The $623 million in supplementary funds that was passed to pay for emergency works to the Demerara Harbour Bridge is necessary for the Government to complete works on the bridge and supplement an earlier $1.2 billion contract.
This is according to Public Works Minister Juan Edghill, who explained during the sitting of the National Assembly that the $623 million being sought would fill gaps left from previous works. Previously, Government had budgeted $850 million for the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC), with $650 million spent to do initial repairs on the retractors.

“The monies sought here are the additional sums that will be added from the $850 million allocated during the budget process… $650 million of that went towards repairs for span nine and 10. And when we went out to bid, the contract came in at approximately just over $1.2 billion,” the Minister said in his presentation last week.
“So, the $623 million is to make up for the shortfall for a contract that has been awarded so we could save the bridge while we bring in a new, high span, four-lane, concrete bridge that is to be built,” Edghill said.
This is a reference to the new Demerara River bridge, which nine contractors have been prequalified to design and build. It is expected that the contract for the successful bidder will be executed in the last quarter of the year.
According to Edghill, for now the present Demerara Harbour Bridge was inherited in a state of disrepair. He claimed that his predecessor was written to about the state of the bridge but little was done to correct it. Some of the interventions the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government has made has resulted in the bridge span being narrowed
“When we were sworn into office, one of the first discoveries we made was that the Demerara Harbour Bridge was in a state of disrepair and demanded an emergency intervention. Added to that, evidence was provided by way of correspondence that the then Minister was written to, making him aware of what needs to be done, but nothing was done.”
“The monies that are sought here, is to effect the much-needed repairs on span nine and 10 of the bridge. Span nine and 10 are the two retractor spans. They have a number of damages and breakages. The whole country is aware that we made a policy decision that we’re not allowing trucks or vehicles carrying more than 18 tons across the Demerara.”
Last December, a tug and barge transporting bauxite slammed into the Demerara Harbour Bridge, causing the high span of the bridge to shift out of alignment. Following the incident, Edghill and Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn, along with DHB officials and technical staff had been on site to assess the situation.
DHB management had announced that marine vessels would be temporarily barred from transiting under the high span until further notice. As a support measure, the Maritime Department had also issued instructions for water taxis plying the Georgetown-Vreed-en-Hoop route to continue to operate until repairs to the bridge were completed.
Floating at 1.25 miles long, the current Demerara Harbour Bridge is a strategic link between the East and West Banks of Demerara, facilitating the daily movement of thousands of vehicles, people, and cargo. The structure was built in the 1970s and was opened in July 1978 with the expectation of lasting only 10 years. However, some 42 years later, it is still floating.
The new Demerara River bridge is meanwhile set to be built from Nandy Park on the East Bank to La Grange on the West Bank. With the construction of the new Demerara River bridge slated to start in the fourth quarter of 2021, the project is expected to be finished within two years.
Minister Edghill had previously explained that the new bridge will be high-fixed with a 50-metre flyover at minimum or “as high as or higher than the Marriott Hotel” to allow for marine vessels to pass without any interruptions of vehicular traffic.
As such, the bridge would land aback Nandy Park on the East Bank of Demerara and at La Grange, West Bank Demerara, from where an alternative highway will be constructed all the way to Parika. The construction of the new bridge will be a timely one, as the East Bank is notorious for its heavy traffic congestions due to the current retractable bridge. (G3)