“We’re trying to get everything right” – Edghill on timeline to replace DHB’s Span 9

Public Works Minister Juan Edghill has said that they looking for an appropriate time to replace retractor Span 9 on the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) with a new structure that has been built.
The new $1.2 billion Span 9 was fabricated by a local company, Industrial Fabrications Inc (InFab), and was completed since 2022.
During a recent interview with, Edghill indicated that the new Span 9 is being held at a dockyard up the Demerara River and is expected to be floated down closer to the bridge in the coming days where it will be stored until it is ready to be installed.
“We’re awaiting now the next suitable tide that we could get it down… It will come and moor in this area [in the vicinity of the DHB],” he explained.
According to the Public Works Minister, an announcement will be made when they are ready to make the replacement.

“The bridge will have to be closed for a number of days to facilitate the taking out of the entire Span 9 and the replacing of that new Span 9… We’re looking at timings, tide and least interruptions [to traffic]. There have been rehearsals that have been done with both the contractor and the Demerara Harbour bridge staff to make sure that we could get this done swiftly.”
“When Span 9 is removed to be replaced, nothing can pass [on the bridge] because there will be a big gap in the bridge. So, that’s not work that can be done while traffic is flowing. So, we’re trying to get everything right,” Minister Edghill further stated.
Back in March, works were done on Retractor Span 10. This was in addition to other emergency repairs done in February to the ageing bridge that is a critical link between several regions and the capital city as well as main airports.
In February, the bridge was closed for over 24 hours in order to facilitate emergency works to be carried out. These include changing out two static rollers, a transom beam, six panels and the mechanism to secure the changes.
These works had to be done following extensive damages to the DHB in October 2022 when Panama-registered oil tanker, MV Tradewind Passion, crashed into the bridge and rendered it inoperable for several days. The incident was said to be one of the most serious collisions on the 44-year-old metal structure.

To date, emergency works conducted on the bridge due to the accident have racked up a bill of over $1 billion. The Guyana Government had insisted that the company which owns the oil tanker should foot the expenses for these repairs.
However, Minister Edghill told reporters last week that nothing has been paid by the company as yet. But he noted that Government is pursuing the matter legally.
Only Friday, the DHB commissioned a multi-functional power barge, which was refurbished from an old barge and is powered by two 300-horsepower mercury engines. It will be used to transport workers, equipment and tools during emergency repairs and/or scheduled maintenance works on the bridge.
This would see the minimising of inconveniences to the travelling public as the teams would no longer have to block traffic or close off the bridge entirely when executing works but would access via the Demerara River using the power barge.
Additionally, the barge also comes with a lifeboat – both procured at about $73 million.
While the power barge was acquired to primarily conduct maintenance and house equipment, General Manager of the DHB, Wayne Watson explained that it would also serve as a means of transport in emergency cases.
“It was suggested that in the future if there is any need when we have the closure [of the bridge to do works, for example,] for replacing Span 9, this can also be used for taking commuters from east to the west side [and vice versa across the Demerara River]. So, it’s a multi-functional piece of equipment,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the Public Works Minister had described this investment as cost-saving, adding that it will bring greater efficiency.
In fact, he pointed out that when the bridge was damaged during the October 2022 incident, the rental of barges to effect repairs racked up expenses in excess of $12 million for just a few days of use.
“When we make these kinds of investments… it improves the fact that we can work on a platform on the water and we don’t have to congest the carriageway… so that the traffic can flow, and it has serious cost-savings implications,” Minister Edghill stated.