New Demerara River Bridge undergoes major load testing with 20 fully-loaded trucks

Today, engineers carried out a major load testing exercise on the new Demerara River cable-stayed bridge.

A total of 20 fully-loaded trucks were carefully positioned on the structure to simulate heavy traffic conditions, while experts monitored the bridge’s performance under stress.

During the operation, advanced sensors recorded stress, strain, deflection, stiffness, and tower displacement, along with the load forces on the supporting cables. These measurements are critical to confirming the bridge’s strength, durability, and safety before its commissioning.

The successful completion of this testing marks another important milestone in the project, ensuring that the new Demerara River bridge will provide safe and reliable service for decades to come.

Minsters of Public Works Juan Edghill and Ricky Ramraj along with other officials from the Ministry were on site to witness the tests.

The new four-lane, 2.6-kilometre (km) bridge stretches from Nandy Park on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) to La Grange on the West Bank of Demerara (WBD).

The bridge is designed with a lifespan of 100 years and will operate toll-free, 24/7, with a maximum speed limit of 80 km/h.