Public Works Minister Juan Edghill has announced that the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) will be closed for a period of three days in the last week of July 2023 to facilitate the replacement of Span 9 on the bridge.
This closure is scheduled to start from 11:59 pm (23:59h) on Monday, July 24, 2023, to 11:59 pm (23:59h) on Thursday, July 27, 2023.
Advised by his technical staff at the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation, the Minister
explained that this specific time period is based on the tide between the 24th of July to the 29th of July.
He added that the logistics for this replacement were also meticulously planned during the closure of the school term in order to ensure a smooth transition and as little inconvenience to the public as possible.
This notice is also being made one month ahead of schedule to ensure persons and
businesses make requisite changes where necessary: persons travelling out of the
country at the time of the closure, those with doctors’ appointments and other
important engagements, etc., are being urged to note these changes.
Minister Edghill noted that the government understands the significance of this replacement
and is committed to seeing this project through, as this new retractor which spans 170
feet long and 40 feet wide and is valued at $1.2 billion, will result in a much smoother
operation (retractability) in the future, which will also enable wider vessels to pass
through the channel.
The Minister is appealing to commuters and businesses for their understanding and
support during these three days of closure of the bridge, as the replacement of span nine
cannot be done while traffic is flowing.
Last year September, span nine was damaged when the Panamanian flagged vessel, MV
Tradewinds Passion crashed into the bridge during a retraction period and rendered the
bridge inoperable for several days.
Since then, that damaged section of the bridge had to be repaired several times, while
plans were being made to replace the unit altogether.
Repairs to span nine were undertaken by a local company, Industrial Fabrications Inc
(InFab), which was completed in late 2022. In May this year, span nine was transported
from the dockyard to the bridge for the perfect time and tide for installation.
