High tides disrupt Kitty-Subryanville Seawall reinforcement

… ‘We have to go back to the drawing board’ – Engineer

A series of high tides over the weekend has resulted in the dislocation of a section of the reinforcement structure put in place at the Kitty-Subryanville Seawall to bar the coastland from the overtopping of the Atlantic Ocean during intense tidal seasons.

This was as high tides, at around 18:00hrs on Saturday, began detaching the recently installed components from the wall, which later led to a number of the concrete structures completely giving way in the subsequent series of extreme currents hitting sometime after 5:00hrs on Sunday morning.
Stemming from the disruption of the sea defence mechanism, heavy waves came toppling over the wall, filling up the drains and flooding a portion of the Rupert Craig Highway, just off the turn within the vicinity of the Russian Embassy. However, despite the overflow, there was no major disruption to traffic.
When Guyana Times visited the scene on Sunday, workers attached to the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) were seen replacing the structures in anticipation of the continuation of high tides, which are expected to persist over the coming days.

Leading the team was Senior District Engineer, Sea and River Defence, Maitland Stewart, who highlighted that the breakaway was due to the corrosion of the connecting pins which were anchoring the extensions to the wall.
He went on to explain what had caused the damage, and outlined the MPI plan to rectify the situation.
“Intense waves for the past couple of tides resulted in some of the components on the wall being shifted off, so we are replacing it with more robust components as a temporary fix, until we can put something more permanent,” the engineer relayed.
Stewart went on to say, “We have more tides coming, so we can’t wait. So this is a quick-fix until the tide recedes, and then we will put down a more permanent thing.”
Even though the temporary structures were not designed as sea defence components, they are heavier than the damaged blocks, and as such are adequate as a short-term replacement. However, the engineer noted that the MPI would commence studies into a more permanent solution for this problem, which has been threatening the coastland for a number of years.
Stewart indicated, “We have to go back to the drawing board to see what’s the best design we can come up with.”
The reinforcement structures were installed throughout the vulnerable section of the Seawalls bordering the Rupert Craig Highway, following a massive flooding which was brought on by the overtopping high and spring tides back in 2012. That has not been the first time that extreme tidal patterns have affected residents living in close proximity to the Kitty-Subryanville Seawall.