Torrential rains delay Harbour Bridge repairs

Jan 09, 2009 News

The torrential rains, a feature at this time of year in Guyana, have reportedly slowed the progress of the repair works on the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB). A source at the DHB said that due to the rains, the tentative April date, which had been set for the completion of the deck plate replacement exercise, may not be met.
The completion of the deck plate replacement exercise may be pushed back by almost a month, he said. During heavy rainfall, welding cannot be done.
The maintenance of the DHB involves the location of damaged deck plates, and their replacement. When a damaged deck plate is located, it is removed and a new deck plate is welded in place of the damaged one. Most of the damaged deck plates can be primarily found on the southern carriageway of the DHB, since more heavy traffic travels on that carriageway.
As work is ongoing on the DHB, staffers are oftentimes asked to work on the weekends and on holidays, to make up for the time which is lost when work is halted due to the rain.
According to further sources at the DHB, the staffers usually do not mind working over the weekends and on holidays, since they are paid extra.
Meanwhile, the deck plates for the DHB are still arriving in batches, and are being installed as they arrive. The delays in the replacement of the deck plates will likely result in the DHB having a surplus of deck plates.
It was noted that it is better for the DHB to have a surplus of deck plates rather than having a deficiency. Altogether, approximately 2000 new deck plates will be delivered to the DHB before the deck plate replacement exercise is completed.
After the deck plates have been reinstalled, the next major operation on the DHB will be the inspection and rehabilitation of the anchor chains of the pontoons. This has apparently already started.
Over time, these anchor chains have deteriorated, and the DHB management has said that it will be inspecting and replacing these anchor chains if they have deteriorated to a level of 10 percent. Each anchor chain is said to have a lifespan of approximately 15 years.
At the same time, pontoons are also being repaired. Pontoons are replaced approximately every three to five years. The DHB can accommodate up to two pontoons being taken to be rehabilitated at a time, and up to two pontoons can be rehabilitated in the space of one week.
In an interview with the National Communications Network (NCN), President Bharrat Jagdeo, some months ago, said that he was “very concerned about the management of the Harbour Bridge, because to allow things to get to that state is unbelievable, almost criminal!”
The DHB has outlived its lifetime by approximately 15 years. At present, a more permanent structure is being contemplated, and while bids for the construction of this more permanent bridge have been solicited, sources have said that nothing concerning this is definite as yet.
Meanwhile, compounded by months of delays, the truck scale on the western end of the DHB, which has been in construction for almost half a year, is yet to see completion.
The construction of the scale is a project of the Ministry of Public Works and not of the DHB Corporation.
Speaking with Kaieteur News in December, 2008, the Engineering Coordinator of the Works Group, Leon Goring, explained that the reason the scale had not been finished was because of a miscalculation concerning the approaches to the approach and departure routes to the scale.
The designs for the approach and departure routes to the scale were found to be approximately 1.5 inches too steep and would therefore not be able to accommodate many of the low bed trailers which would need to be weighed.
To solve this problem, Goring explained, the approach and departure routes to the scale would have to be extended so as to reduce the steepness of the approach and departure routes to the scale.
Another reason for the delay, noted Goring, was the fact that there were also associated costs concerning the redesign of the approach and departure routes to the scale, and this was compounded by the fact that the project had a limited budget.

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