Demerara Harbour Bridge reopens to light traffic

Light traffic has begun to flow on the Demerara Harbour Bridge, two days after a section of the structure collapsed.

A team of dedicated workers and engineers attached to the Demerera Harbour Bridge has worked tirelessly for the past 48 hours, making it possible for light traffic to access the facility on Wednesday, just after 13: 00h.
The bridge, which is 95 per cent complete, was opened to facilitate cars and other small vehicles, but it will take another few days to accommodate heavy traffic. General Manager of the bridge Rawlston Adams said the team worked until midnight on Tuesday and returned about 04: 00h on Wednesday morning and completed the task that was before them.
Up to late Tuesday, the team was in the process of repositioning the original pontoon, which is 50 per cent completed, and also adjusting the height of another so that it can be put into place to facilitate the smooth operation of the bridge.
He said that while the main focus was to complete repairs to accommodate light traffic before Wednesday evening, he is optimistic that other works can be finished to facilitate heavy-duty vehicle by late today (Thursday).
A section of the Demerara Harbour Bridge, which has been serving the nation for the past 34 years, collapsed on Monday morning, leaving thousands of commuters stranded. This occurred at about 06: 45h. Commuters were forced to use the speed boat service which plies the Vreed-en-Hoop/ Georgetown route.
Adams said it was not the structural member which failed, resulting in the collapse of the bridge, but rather, workers were fixing a section of the bridge that they recognised needed repairs.
He also explained that at 05: 30h, there was a retraction to facilitate ocean going vessels, and immediately after, all vehicles crossed without any difficulties, which proved that there were no signs of a breakage, but it was until 06: 45h that it occurred. He reiterated that the bridge is made up of the super structure component, and the sub structure component is always under maintenance.
The Demerara Harbour Bridge transits in excess of 16,000 vehicles a day, and according to Adams, the present problem would have significantly affect people living on the West Side, their businesses and more importantly, their getting to work on a daily basis.