Latest update August 4th, 2026 12:30 AM
Politicking, poor design destroys Hope Canal Bridge
The problems associated with the shifting Hope Canal Bridge located at Hope on the East Coast of Demerara, are a result of poor design and not the failure of the contractor, Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder said.
The Minister said that records show that DIPCON Engineering Company, the contractor of the bridge, expressed reservations to the previous government with respect to the design of the structure, but the concerns were ignored by the previous Board of Directors.
“The contractor apparently expressed hesitation in implementing the project. It is clear that the Board disregarded these concerns and proceeded in their haste to have the project commissioned for political purposes. This is unacceptable,” the Minister said.
The National Drainage and Irrigation Authority’s (NDIA) Board of Directors, under the previous administration had requested the consultant, Caribbean Engineering and Management Consultants (CEMCO), to state the reasons for the problems identified with the bridge approach. In their response, CEMCO stated that the contractor’s work complied with the design and specifications of the project.
Given CEMCO’s declarations, it would have been virtually impossible for the NDIA Board, under the previous administration to withhold DIPCON’s retention in light of the consultant’s letter; as it was stated clearly that the contractor complied with the design and all specifications of the project.
Honouring the contractor’s request for final payment by the current board of the NDIA was therefore in keeping with its contractual obligations.
“To now blame the current Board for bad decision-making is unethical and an attempt to score cheap political points,” the Minister of Agriculture said.
DIPCON Engineering was recently accused of employing methods contrary to what was required under the contract and of not enforcing a ‘pre-loading’ strategy in the construction of the foundation for the approach road.
Addressing this accusation, the Minister said, “The consultant’s letter also answered the claim about the contractor not utilising the pre-loading methodology in the compaction of sand at the bridge approaches…It is unclear how the media could have arrived at the conclusion that DIPCON was in breach of the original contract.”
Minister Holder said the actions by the previous NDIA Board of Directors remain detrimental to the country’s economy, as the Ministry of Agriculture is now forced to make additional financial inputs into the Hope Canal Bridge to rectify substandard works which could have been catered for during the defects liability period of the project.
The canal was initiated in the aftermath of the 2005 great flood. The project encountered several setbacks, missed many deadlines, including the original 18-month period for construction after its commencement in February, 2011.
The timeframe for completion was further extended from June 2013 to August, then to December, then to June 2014, then to September and again to December of 2014.
The bridge is one of four components of the Hope Canal Project, the others being the Northern Relief channel, 10.3kilometres in length from the sea defence embankment to the East Demerara Water Conservancy; a high level outfall sluice; and a conservancy head regulator.
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Guyana is perhaps the only country that literally pumps fresh water into to the Ocean. This will definitely return to haunt us in the next generation. Our rivers need no help in this effort.
The Hope canal discharge, not unlike the No. 43/Bengal and Eversham (from Black Bush Polder), are white elephants without tusks. Instead of constructing economically prudent dammed RESERVIORS to contain flooding(s) and reserve water for ‘hard times’, the PPP offered handouts and visible voter incentives for water management.
All these projects have idle state lands that could be better utilized for water conservations that support related fisheries, cash crops, and watering live-stocks.
The discharge sluices are convenient ventures for misappropriating and redirecting funding by inflated costs that promote corruption. It is lamentable that Minister Holder recognizes any wisdom with these milking cows where fuels are squandered and not prudently accounted. The APNU/AFC Administration is beginning to think and act like it is still the opposition.