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Foreman says June deadline attainable for Liliendaal Bridge rehab
Works progressing on the Liliendaal Bridge yesterday
By June, motorists will once again have access to the Liliendaal Bridge. The bridge which is situated in the Greater Georgetown section of the city has for almost a month been closed off to road users in order to facilitate much needed rehabilitation.
The ongoing works is being done at a reported cost of $89 million by H. Nauth and Sons Civil Engineering Contractors.
In an invited comment yesterday Mr. Harry James, the firm’s Foreman on the site, revealed that works are progressing well with little to no challenges.
“We are currently driving pre-stressed concrete piles,” related James as he pointed out that a crucial aspect of the contract is reinforcement of the railway embankment connection.
Pre-stressed concrete piles, according to James, are piles that contain wire ropes that are designed to stretch to a certain level before they cast and then overlaid with concrete slabs. According to James there are several other bridges along the embankment that have been similarly reinforced.
Pre-stressed concrete piles are said to be extensively employed throughout the world in marine structures and foundations. The advantages they offer are their strength in bearing and bending, their durability and their economy.
This means that bending stresses during driving are also less likely to produce cracking than in conventional pre-cast concrete piles. Pre-stressed concrete piles are made from high-strength concrete, typically 50 MPa or more. MPa or megapascal is the term used in concrete as the common unit for compressive strength. These pre-stressed concrete piles are subjected to factory cast curing conditions that can be strictly regulated.
According to James, the eastern side of the bridge has been outfitted with pre-stressed piles and workers have already commenced doing the same on the western side. James estimates that with proper maintenance, the bridge could last as much as 100 years providing that the vehicles that traverse the thoroughfare are not overly laden.
The ongoing works were initiated following recommendations by two inspection teams.
According to the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, the recommendations came from the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) Inspection Team and engineers attached to the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI).
In its recommendation, the DHB Team said that the Liliendaal Bridge should immediately be closed to traffic. These recommendations were based upon findings which showed that one of the panel systems on the northern rail of the Liliendaal Bridge demonstrated signs of imminent failure.
“In particular, one of the panels in the system had been detached, rendering the system structurally unstable. Additionally, a section of the northern carriageway of the bridge also experienced serviceability failure, demonstrated by excessive deflection.”
An additional inspection was subsequently carried out by the MPI Team and the engineers concurred with the initial assessment. While works had been slated to commence on the bridge on March 6, last, the construction had started earlier and was scheduled to span a period of four months.
The Ministry’s team had given its assurance that a timely closure would have been coordinated with the contracting company to facilitate the commencement of the road works while negating any traffic hazards.
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