New $160 Million Manari Bridge awaits test results for opening

Jun 20, 2020 News

The new GYD$160 Million concrete bridge constructed at Manari Creek along the Linden-Lethem Trail is now awaiting test results before it could be used.

The New Manari Bridge recently under construction

This information was released by Regional Executive Officer (REO) of Region Nine, Carl Parker Thursday last.
Parker said that a test on the bridge has been completed and results are now being awaited from officials in Georgetown.
He hopes that the results can come in early so that the newly constructed bridge can be opened to accommodate light traffic soon.
Meanwhile, Regional Engineer attached to the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Rafael Lewis noted that as soon as the results are out, the public will be notified of the exact date for the opening.
He highlighted that a “cube strong test” was conducted to ascertain the Pounds per square inch (PSI) of concrete used for the Bridge’s construction.
Lewis explained that samples were taken from each set of concrete that was cast to determine if it would be able to withstand high levels of compression.
The new Manari Bridge project was launched in October of 2019 as a first phase of upgrading the road-link between Linden and Lethem.
Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson had said that there were some GYD$200 Million in his Budget for the Road upgrade. Part of this money was injected into the building of the new bridge.
A bypass road was also constructed in order to accommodate the bridge’s construction. It was scheduled to be completed and in operation way earlier but REO Parker said that the project was hit with major setbacks. He reasoned that the Covid-19 pandemic played a big part in the bridge’s delay because contractors were dependent on materials from neighbouring Brazil. As result of the closure of the Brazilian Frontier they were forced to source materials from Georgetown which took a longer time. Parker added that the seasonal rainfall also hampered contractors from completing works.
In fact, recent weather conditions were so severe that part of the Manari bypass road was washed away causing a major diversion of traffic.
On June 11, the media was informed that contractors will double-up to complete the Bridge as quickly as possible.
A timeline of two weeks was given for the bridge’s completion.

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