Tenders open to repair $350M Hope Canal Bridge

Sep 17, 2016 News

Tenders for the remedial works on the faulty $350M Hope Canal Bridge, located on the East Coast of Demerara, will be going to the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) shortly.

The Western approach leading up to the bridge where the depression was so bad that some vehicles had to come to a dead stop. (File photo).

This was disclosed by the Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, during a press conference hosted at the Ministry in Kingston Georgetown, recently.
Despite being commissioned by the former regime – the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C)—-just two years ago, the bridge poses a serious threat to road users who utilise the link on a daily basis.
The approaches to the bridge are sinking; resulting in depressions on both the western and eastern ends of the structure.
In recent months, road users have expressed their concerns pointing to the potential harm the structural defect would cause to persons who are unfamiliar with these depressions which “creep up” on drivers.
Several minibus drivers have also indicated that due to the depressions, they are putting both their vehicles and passengers at risk.
Minister Patterson said on Thursday, that the Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Annette Ferguson, and a team, have already conducted an extensive report on the bridge. A decision was made to have the remedial works to go to tender, he said. This he said will happen in a few days.
The Minister added that the Ministry will be “reprogramming” some of its funds to make this issue a priority.
Asked whether the construction company, DIPCON Engineering, will be penalised for the structural defects, Patterson said that the shoddy work was a result of the consultancy firm and not the contractor.
He said that DIPCON would have aired its concerns saying, “What we’re going to build here won’t work”. However, the Consultancy firm said, “We tell you what to build – you build it.”
The bridge is 74.4 metres long and has a 47-metre sloped approach on both sides; it has the capacity to accommodate two-lane traffic, with sidewalks on both sides.
Construction of the multimillion-dollar structure commenced in 2011 however, due to several setbacks, the completion date was rescheduled from July 2013 to end of August of that same year.
As a consequence of several additional “setbacks” the completion date was subsequently slated for December 31. The bridge was completed instead, during the first quarter of 2014.
The Bridge is one of the three components of the US$15 M Hope Canal Project.