$719M in contracts awarded to repair Harbour Bridge pontoons

Aug 10, 2024 News

Kaieteur News – The Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC), an agency under the Ministry of Public Works, is set to spend $719,361,557 to repair 30 pontoons on the bridge.

This is according to information obtained from the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board’s (NPTAB) website which stated that the projects will be done in two lots. The contracts were awarded earlier this week.

It was revealed that Lot1 of the project which is for the rehabilitation of 28 regular pontoons was awarded to EC Vieira Investment Limited to the tune of $ 631,546,797, while Lot2 which is for the rehabilitation of two large pontoons was awarded to S. Jagmohan Construction & General Supplies Inc. for $87,814,760.

It was reported that in its initial tender document the works for Lot1 were estimated to cost $639,329,431 and Lot2 was estimated to cost $111,377,810, according to the government engineer.

This publication understands that the pontoons are being repaired to ensure safety on the 45-year-old floating bridge.

General Manager (GM) of the DHBC, Wayne Watson had told Kaieteur News that the pontoons are the last set to be rehabilitated.

“After a period, you have installed a new pontoon, you have to rehabilitate those pontoons they have a lifecycle. So, for the last three years we have been rehabilitating pontoons, so these are the remainder of the set that would have passed that rehabilitation period,” he briefly explained.

Watson noted that the repairs must be done to ensure commuters’ safety on the bridge. When asked if the rehabilitation works on the pontoons would affect the flow of traffic on the bridge, the General Manager assured that this would not be the case.

He explained that when the pontoons go for repairs, temporary ones would be installed, and the cycle would continue until all are repaired.

This publication understands that apart from other structural works, there would also be the replacement of 20 anodes per pontoon.

At his year-end press conference in December, Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill stated that in 2023, the DHB would have rehabilitated some 56 pontoons. Watson related that each year they would try to repair 25 to 30 pontoons, and the set that is out to tender now would be the last to be rehabilitated.

Watson also said that the DHB’s 2024 budget is expected to last for the life or operation of the bridge, which would see them carrying out maintenance works from time to time on the carriage of the bridge.

This year, the DHBC was allocated $935 million for rehabilitative works. The floating bridge would soon be replaced by the new Demerara River Bridge which is currently under construction.

Picture: DHB
Caption: The current Demerara Harbour Bridge.