Weekend night lockdown for Demerara Harbour Bridge

…closed from 9pm to 5am

The Demerara Harbour Bridge is scheduled to be closed to all traffic on Saturday, November 13 from 21:00h (9:00pm) to 05:00h (5:00pm) on Sunday. This closure is to facilitate urgent works on retractor spans 9 and 10.
In a statement on Thursday, the management explained that given its aged structure, the bridge requires frequent maintenance to allow for the free and safe flow of both vehicular and marine traffic.
Earlier this year, a contract was awarded to INFAB for the rehabilitation of retractor spans 9 and 10 and design, fabrication, and installation of retractor span 9.
The daily openings for sea-going vessels occur along spans 9 and 10. This is, therefore, the most critical section of the bridge which absorbs the most wear and tear.
“The contractor, INFAB, has completed their offsite design and fabrication works and is now ready to work onsite ie, to remove and replace damaged components. This work will result in the opening of the retractor spans. It will be extremely unsafe to commute during this time. Consequently, the Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to all traffic on November 13 and 14,” management stated.

“The general objective of the rehabilitation project is to restore the retractor spans by eliminating the existing structural deficiencies and reconstruct retractor span 9 so as to improve the bridge’s condition, geometrics, safety, and load-carrying capacity. The contractor is required to supply, deliver, install, test, commission, and transport, and demolish assembly with all necessary permits, ancillary and work systems, whether expressly indicated or not.”
Works are currently being done to facilitate the building of a new four-lane Demerara River bridge.
Just last month, Dutch maritime solutions provider Koole Contractors had begun a wreckage removal project in the Demerara River.
The company was hired by the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) to remove three separate wrecks.
The $787.6 million contract was signed in early September between MARAD Director General Stephen Thomas and Koole Contractors representative Janneke Kuijper.
In addition to this, a small number of properties will have to be acquired by the Government to facilitate the building of the new Demerara River bridge.
This was revealed by the Public Works Ministry’s Chief Transport Planning Officer, Patrick Thompson during a tour of the site where the new bridge will land on the East Bank of Demerara at Nandy Park.
Public Works Minister Juan Edghill, however, has reassured that the properties would be acquired at fair market value as required by law.
Cabinet granted its no-objection for China State Construction Engineering to construct the bridge at a proposed cost of US$256.6 million.
The new bridge will offer easy connectivity to both the existing East Bank Demerara road as well as the new Diamond-to-Ogle bypass on the eastern side of the river and to the existing West Bank Demerara road and the new Parika-to-Schoonord road on the western side of the river. (G2)