[www.inewsguyana.com] – General Manager of the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) Rawleston Adams, on Friday last, dismissed claims that the 6,074 – foot long floating bridge has outlived its usefulness.
The crossing was commissioned in July 1978 and was said to have a life span of 10 years but continues to serve the Guyanese public some three decades on.
Adams believes the repairs done on the bridge have preserved it to this point and will for many years to come; explaining that “it is a modular construction and that’s the reasons why parts can be changed easily, something that can’t be done on a concrete bridge.”
He told reporters that “once we have the support from Central Government in terms of capital we can maintain and keep bridge going for as long as possible.”
A pre-feasibility study was done for a new crossing with the final feasibility study expected to commence shortly.
“We think based on all the works we have been doing the Demerara Harbour Bridge that its condition is in a fairly good state. I can say that from inspection from driving over the bridge, the condition of the bridge we think is excellent for the works we have been doing,” Adams added.
The Demerara Harbour Bridge recorded a 5.1% increase in vehicular traffic in 2014; in fact, during December, a total of 11, 555 transited in one direction, which is the highest number ever recorded.
According to Adams, marine traffic saw a decline from 1,279 in 2013 to 1,191 in 2014, which is a 6.6% decrease. Adams was at the time updating the media, on the agency’s accomplishments for 2014, which he described as outstanding.
Marine toll for 2014 amounted to $20,266,000 as compared with $20,532,000 in 2013, a 1.30 percent decrease, while vehicular toll amounted to $462,446,099 in 2014, as against $412,270,181 in 2013. In the case of other revenues, the DHB saw a total of $50,517,283 being generated in 2014, as against $29,331,724 in 2013, which brings the overall total amount of income generated to $71,095,477 for 2014.
The total expenditure for the DHB was $437,070,603 in 2014, as compared with $369,468,166 in 2013, an 18.3 percent difference, according to Adams. He said that the DHB was contracted by the Works Ministry to conduct maintenance works on bridges on the railway embankment, Moleson Creek and the Essequibo coast. These contractual works resulted in a 95.17% increase in the DHB’s income.
The harbour bridge expended a total of $337,324,874 on its capital works for 2014. These works include the fabrication of three pontoons and 10 transoms, servicing of 18 pontoons, fabrication of connecting posts ( 30 pairs ), supply of sheaves and shackles (120 snatch blocks ), fabrication of 60 buoys and the rehabilitation of one tug.
