Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jan 10, 2014 News
Works to repair sections of the Demerara Harbour Bridge which were damaged last Sunday morning, after a vessel collided with it, have been completed.
According to Rawlston Adams, General Manager of the bridge, the retractor span which opens up to allow vessels to transit was tested and it is working.
A fuel tanker, Lucy PG, whose local agent is the Guyana National Shipping Corporation (GNSC), was set to pass through heading south to a gas terminal at Providence.
However, according to reports, the pilot of the tanker failed to heed warnings and the vessel collided with the bridge.
On Monday, Adams announced that the bridge, a critical link between West Demerara and Essequibo and Georgetown, would be closed Wednesday night starting at 22:00 hrs for six hours to facilitate repairs.
The accident left the bridge’s retractor and acceptor spans out of alignment. An emergency crew was assembled and equipment mobilized for emergency repairs to be carried out.
According to the General Manager, the bridge was closed to vehicular traffic for approximately four hours on Sunday. In addition to four special connecting posts being broken, there was also severe damage to piles, with a pontoon punctured. Anchorages at a certain section were also shifted.
A decision was taken not to retract the bridge for river traffic until the emergency repairs were conducted.
On Wednesday evening, inspecting the repairs with Adams was Public Works Minister, Robeson Benn.
The aging structure, commissioned in 1978, is the main link between the city and West Demerara as well as Essequibo. Government is currently considering proposals for a new bridge across the river.
An accident like that which occurred Sunday morning has been among the worst fears for the authorities, because of the structure’s importance to trade and traffic. The bridge has “long outlived its lifespan” but has been kept operational at huge costs because of limited options at this time until a new structure becomes a reality.
Kaieteur News was told that there is an active investigation ongoing with talks ongoing with the tanker’s UK owner for compensation.
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