With an estimated 370 workers working around the clock, the new Demerara Harbour Bridge is pegged at 33 per cent completed.
This is according to Minister within the Public Works Ministry, Deodat Indar, who was updating President Dr. Irfaan Ali and a team during an inspection of the works ongoing on the eastern end of the new Demerara Harbour Bridge at Peters Hall, East Bank Demerara.
President Irfaan Ali and Minister Deodat Indar inspecting the site on Thursday
Works have been moving apace, with the contractor, China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) Limited, aiming to complete the US$260 million bridge by the December 2024 deadline.
However, as works progress, the temporary bridge that is intended to support the construction works has been completed and is operable.
The pile-driving phase has commenced, with a total of 38 piles to be installed. So far, five have been installed, and with the acquisition of two machines, this phase is expected to be expedited with some form of efficiency. It is expected that the pile work would be completed by April 2024.
Minister Indar told media operatives that the workers are operating ‘round the clock’ to see this massive project to fruition.
“Right now, we are at 33 per cent completed, based on our engineers. 100 per cent of the entire temporary bridge is completed; they are already pouring [concrete] on the main substructure piling, and they are working 24 hours,” Indar disclosed.
Indar reiterated that the new bridge structure would provide better connectivity to new highways being constructed along the East Bank Demerara corridor, such as the Diamond-to-Ogle bypass road; and provide connectivity from Parika to Schoonord on the West Bank Demerara (WBD).
“I think we’re happy with the speed of the construction by the contractor, and we’re also happy with the supervisory consultant…We have our local guys at the Ministry, so we continue to monitor this project. Based on the engineers and the contractor, I don’t think we have any impediments right now,” the Minister divulged.
The new Demerara Harbour Bridge will replace the current structure across the river, which has exceeded its lifespan by some 40 years.
The contractors are part of a joint venture led by China Railway and Construction Corporation Limited to construct the new bridge, which will land aback Nandy Park on the East Bank of Demerara, and at La Grange, West Bank Demerara.
Back in 2022, $21.1 billion was allocated towards work on the bridge. The China Railway and Construction Corporation (International) Limited-led joint venture outbid four other pre-qualified international companies that submitted proposals for the project.
In the months before the contract was awarded, the Guyana Government, through a team of specialists – legal and engineering – was in negotiations with the Chinese company to finalise the terms of the contract.
The new bridge will be a fixed 2.65-kilometre, four-lane, high-span, cable-stayed structure across the Demerara River, with the width of the driving surface being about 23.6 metres.
The bridge, which features a bicycle lane, will bring an end to closures to vehicular traffic with a 50-metre fixed-high span to cater for the free flow of vessels uninterrupted. The river will be dredged along a 13.5-kilometre stretch to accommodate large vessels.
This new bridge will replace the ageing floating Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB), which has outlived its lifespan by several decades. At 1.25 miles (2.01km), 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.
