DHB closing for six days to marine traffic from April 29

Apr 10, 2012 News

– to change hydraulic span

The Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) would be closed to ocean going vessels for six days from April 29. This is to facilitate the removal of the old hydraulic ramp and the installation of a new one, says Rawlston Adams, General Manager of the entity.
The hydraulic ramp is the section of the retractor span that lifts off the acceptor span, allowing the bridge to retract to facilitate the passage of large ocean going vessels.

Demerara Harbour Bridge

According to Adams, the date to begin this operation was decided upon following a meeting with the various companies that would be affected by the bridge’s closure to marine traffic.
He explained that essential cargo such as fuel is transported via water to various companies, including Guyana Power and Light at Garden-of-Eden, East Bank Demerara. As such, another meeting would be held on April 24 to further discuss the stock levels of companies.
Taking into consideration that the DHB is the primary means for persons, goods and services to access the West Bank and West Coast Demerara, management has planned this operation differently from the previous one done 15 years ago.
Adams noted that the previous operation took two weeks and was closed to both vehicular and ocean-going vessels. However, management is aiming to complete this operation in six days during which the bridge would be open to vehicular traffic. Nonetheless, vehicles would be restricted on one lane by the retractor span.
Cognizant that there would be severe traffic congestion during peak hours, Adams stated that works would be carried out at nights and during the ‘slow period’ of the day.
Recently, the bridge undertook the first phase of this operation with the bridge’s Engineers rehabilitating the acceptor span.
Adams related, “We had to lift the bridge proper off of the panels– remove the six broken panels because if those panels were not changed it would have caused further deformation of the roller guides that accept the bridge when it is retracting…This is very important because it is the heart of the bridge that keeps marine traffic going.”
That operation was slated for six hours but it was completed in four and a half hours. He noted that management is pleased with the response of the traveling public to the alerts sent out informing them that the bridge would have been closed for six hours.

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