After one year overpass elevators still not commissioned - officials still mum on deadline failure and new commissioning date

After one year overpass elevators still not commissioned – officials still mum on deadline failure and new commissioning date

Jun 14, 2019 News

By Alex Wayne

It has been one year now since the Infrastructure Ministry promised to commission and make operational the overpass elevators located at four different locations on East Bank Demerara.

The overpass elevators are way past their June 2018 expected commissioning date

These elevators are still not commissioned and are like white horses at Houston, Eccles, Providence and Diamond.
That’s not all. Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson, had promised that the elevators will be commissioned before the May 26 Independence celebrations, but all Guyana is still waiting to see that happen.
After the May 26 deadline, Kaieteur News again contacted the ministry’s, Public Relations Officer, Krest Cummings for an update on the situation, and she could not come up with a reason for the delay, nor could she say if a new date has been set for commissioning. Our reporter made several attempts, but Krest, always mentioned that Minister Patterson has not given her any new information regarding the issue.
That aside, Krest had promised through her minister that the elevators would have been manned by trained personnel (around the clock), but this too has not materialized.
This newspaper has consulted with sources inside the Transport and Harbours Department/Maritime Administration Department who said they are not aware that employees from within their operations were trained to man the elevators as indicated by Krest.
Cummings had indicated that locals will be trained shortly by engineers from the ministry who have already been trained at an international level overseas. She had also promised a better surveillance system that will be implemented, and will be connected to the existing one at the Demerara Harbour Bridge, to ensure ‘round the clock viewing’ of what goes around the bypasses.
The elevators at the Eccles, Houston, Diamond and have been installed since June 2018, and were expected to be operational one week after. That has not happened and the ministry in April 2019 had reported cases of vandalism on the Diamond and Providence overpasses in which electrical, and solar panel lights, no cycle and disable signs, corrugated electrical wire covers, earthing connection, and protective covers were stolen.
Camera wires were also disconnected at the Diamond bypass as well.
The cost for supply and installation of each elevator is tabled at USD$61 000, and were bought from Cibes Lifts Group AG, OF Sweden. They were supplied and installed by their authorized dealer RBP Lifts, Trinidad.
One might want to consider that the elevators and overpasses left standing would have been the perfect target of thieves since they never attended on supervised by security ranks of any sort.
Today the ministry has failed to provide information on the brand or model of the elevators, and from where they have been sourced even though the question was raised in several instances.
Kaieteur News has been given the ‘royal run around’ since we attempted to sources information on the overpasses earlier this year.
In late March Kaieteur News attempted to get a comment on actual date for commencement of operations, and was first told by Senior Engineer, Jermaine Braithwaite, that he could not comment on such matters, and would have to consult with another engineer who is authorised to comment.
He was contacted some time later (on April 24), and then reported that he had made contact with the other engineer, whom had indicated that he preferred to have their PR Representative comment on the issue. Several attempts after by this newspaper had gone unanswered as his phone rang out repeatedly.
The following day he mentioned he was unable to come up with any information of significance. Contact was then made with the ministry’s PRO, Krest Cummings, who at that time had indicated that she was not in a position to comment on an operational start time or commissioning of the elevators.
The overhead walkways at Providence and Diamond villages were each said to be built at a cost of $77M.
Contracts for the other three walkways (Houston, Eccles and Peter’s Hall) were awarded to B & A Civil Works. Trinidad Company, RBP Lifts Limited, had installed elevators with RM Engineering overseeing the process.
The elevators are said to have a one year warranty and a quarterly maintenance system in place. The elevators also have a screw drive system which a more simplified and more robust system, so there is no cable as in the case of normal elevators.