Repairs complete; Harbour Bridge allowing heavier trucks to cross

Sep 05, 2019 News

Repairs are completed and as of yesterday, heavy trucks were being allowed to use the Demerara Harbour Bridge.

Repairs have been completed on the Demerara Harbour Bridge with some degree of normalcy to resume today with regard to weight limits.

General Manager, Rawlston Adams, disclosed that there is an 18-tonne limit to vehicles until today, when normalcy resumes.
There will be no special crossings until further notice, with marine traffic to be allowed from this morning.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure again apologised to private businesses and essential services that were adversely affected by the closure and restricted access to unladen and fully-laden trucks on the bridge from Monday.
Shortly after midnight Sunday, a Panamanian-registered barge filled with materials and a tug drifted downriver from the Grove/Diamond area and slammed into the 41-year-old floating bridge. It uprooted and broke several anchors and buoys, causing the bridge to be shifted out of line and two spans to separate.
A car that was driven by a woman was stuck between the space that was created on one of the spans.
Guyana awoke to the news Monday morning, with the thousands of drivers on the West Demerara area caught in the confusion.
The Bridge Corporation worked around the clock, using over 50 persons to conduct emergency repairs.
On Tuesday afternoon, at 2pm, the bridge was reopened to light vehicular traffic.
With a number of the vessels bringing fuel for Sol and Rubis, there is worry. The authorities were forced to depend on the old stellings at Vreed-en-Hoop and Stabroek to move thousands of persons.
According to Government, it is moving to build a new bridge but that is a few years away, with the bid documents now being prepared.
The barge and tug owners will have to foot the bill for repairs, among other things.