Latest update March 24th, 2025 7:05 AM
Harbour Bridge surface safe for commute during rainy season – General Manager
Resurfacing the metal deck plates of the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) with bituminous material from old tires is dependent on available funding and Government’s consideration of erecting a new structure.
This is according to Rawlston Adams, General Manager of Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation, who assured that the metal-surfaced deck plates, which were replaced within recent years, pose no
Bridge management has dismissed claims by the driver that it was drizzling when the accident occurred.
threat to commuters during the rainy season.
Adams was at the time responding to concerns raised from last Friday’s episode in which a car plunged off the structure. The driver had told Kaieteur News at the scene that he was heading west down an incline on the bridge during a slight drizzle, when he applied his brakes in an attempt to slow down, but the vehicle immediately began to skid on the slick surface.
But, according to Adams, who has access to video recordings from closed circuit television cameras placed on the bridge, speeding and attempting to overtake on the retractor span of the bridge were the primary reasons for the motor vehicle plunging off the structure. He added that the driver only paid $20 at the toll and sped-off.
Adams also dismissed claims by the driver that it was drizzling when the accident occurred. He said that it was only after the accident that raindrops fell.
Speaking about the pilot project that DHB and the Institute of Applied Science and Technology (IAST) embarked on several years ago, Adams said that the project was successful. And its implementation is dependent on the availability of funding to resurface the bridge with the bituminous material.
They were working on a pilot project to recycle old tires to cover a few of the bridge’s decking plates with a bituminous material that would not crack as the plates bent under stress, allowing the covering to last longer. Several deck plates covered with the bituminous material were found to be effective.
Adams added that Government has plans to build a new bridge and this project would have to be balanced off against that backdrop.
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