The Demerara Harbour Bridge will no longer be closing off to all traffic at 9pm or 21:00h tonight as previously announced.
The initial closure from 9pm tonight to 5am tomorrow was to facilitate much-needed works on the retractor spans of the bridge.
However, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill in a social media post moments ago, said “The management of the Demerara Harbour Bridge wishes to advise the General Public that the scheduled closure of the Demerara Harbour Bridge between 21:00 (9PM) Saturday, November 13, 2021 to 5:00 AM Sunday, November 14, 2021 for maintenance work has been postponed until further notice. The bridge will remain open to vehicular traffic as per normal.”
According to the monthly schedule, the Bridge will retract at 01:30h and then again at 13:00h tomorrow, Sunday, November 14.
It was previously explained that the Bridge is an “aged structure that requires constant maintenance”.
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 i.e., 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 on November 13 and 14.
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.
