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Traffic woes hit hard
…as critical repairs continue on Demerara Harbour Bridge
Management of the Demerara Harbour Bridge began the second leg of critical repairs yesterday, but despite the Independence Day holiday, there were major traffic woes for commuters.
According to General Manager of the facility, Rawlston Adams, work at the moment is on schedule to be completed by Tuesday.
“The traffic is terrible. We are asking drivers and passengers to bear with us during this time. We want the message to get out that we are working as fast as possible. Please be patient.”
Ongoing works on the bridge yesterday
The critical works involved changing several sections of the retractor span of the bridge. During the first phase late last month, sections of the eastern section of the ramp were replaced. Work was finished way before the deadline. The works were to have been completed within six days.
This second phase, delayed because of weather, was set to coincide with Independence Day which was celebrated yesterday and which would have seen not too much traffic using the facility.
Yesterday, work was ongoing on the north-western section of the ramp. To speed up works, materials had been mobilized way before the work started and brought to the bridge on a pontoon.
However, it appeared that not many drivers were aware of the works despite the notices to mobile phones and other advertisements. The one-lane traffic was at times stalled for several minutes as impatient drivers attempted to overtake, creating a traffic jam. There were also instances of vehicular breakdowns.
Drivers and passengers complained of being on the bridge for as long as an hour.
According to Adams, the police are helping with the traffic flow situation.
“It is too early to say whether we would be finished before Tuesday as anything can go wrong. But we are keeping our fingers crossed.”
The 34-year-old Demerara Harbour Bridge, considered one of the longest floating structures of its kind, is way past its life span and government has been highly challenged to ensure that it remains operational.
The traffic lines were long on the bridge.
It is being heavily subsidized by government with maintenance cost hitting the roof in recent years.
The bridge management is on a major drive to replace pontoons and deck plates. Literally hundreds of thousands of dollars are being released annually for the maintenance. Maintenance cost far outstrips the revenues.
Government has insisted that the bridge is at its strongest.
With several new housing schemes in the West Demerara area, the bridge has been placed under considerable strain to take off the heavy sand trucks and other heavy vehicles transporting housing materials.
There are over 10,000 vehicles being added annually to the roads in Guyana, Government says.
The harbour bridge provides a critical link between West Demerara, Essequibo and the city.
Government has been examining alternative facilities.
According to Prime Minister Sam Hinds, during a recent press conference, Government is not ruling out a similar arrangement to the Berbice Bridge where a private/public partnership would be used to raise capital.
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