Latest update January 6th, 2025 4:00 AM
Millions to be spent again on Supenaam Stelling rehab
The Supenaam Stelling in Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam) is once again, slated to undergo a multimillion-dollar make over.
Tenders were yesterday open at the National Procurement and Tender Administration (NPTAB), which saw a dozen contractors vying.
The procuring entity was listed as the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) and the engineer’s estimate was announced at $132.1M.
The Supenaam Stelling, has in the past, faced intense scrutiny after the $600M facility began suffering structural defects days after it was commissioned in 2010.
This particular project, because of its cost, problems and importance, had sparked an inquiry involving the contractor, BK International, with neither the government of the day – the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) nor the consultants taking blame.
Millions were dished out to rectify the myriad problems that were experienced throughout the years.
The stelling is a critical point linking for Government-owned ferries that take goods and passengers from the Essequibo coast to Parika, which links the city.
Millions of dollars more to be spent on repairs to the Supenaam Stelling.
In May 2010, the stelling ramp buckled under the weight of a heavy vehicle, days after it was open to ferry traffic. Ferries were forced to revert to the Adventure Stelling which government had hoped to abandon. This particular stelling had been in use for more than 100 years. Millions were spent here again.
In September 2013 – three years after it was commissioned – a section of the deck slab leading to the ramp that allows vehicles to load into the ferries collapsed, forcing transportation officials to restrict heavy vehicles and leaving rice farmers angry over the delays. The incident had triggered more questions of the quality of work on government projects.
On July 6, 2016, the M.V. Sabanto collided with a floatation unit and cluster piles causing extensive damage.
Rehabilitation was executed by the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation to the tune of $17M where corrective works entailed the removal of damaged cluster piles; driving of new clusters; changing of damaged components and re-aligning the span to its correct position.
Additional works were executed to the Supenaam stelling such as: rehabilitation to the side-loading system where three piles were replaced; defective galvanize safety rails and lamp poles were re-installed; defective curb walls were re-cast; and sections of the driveway were covered with asphalt. These works were carried out by M. Sukhai Contracting Service.
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