EIGHTEEN pontoons for the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) would be rehabilitated following Cabinet earlier this week giving its no-objection to a contract worth $97.7M.

This was announced on Wednesday by Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon, at his weekly post-Cabinet press briefing at the Office of the President, in Georgetown.

The contract would also see the fabrication of connecting posts for the DHB.

Cabinet had earlier given its no-objection to several contracts in the public works sector, which would result in strengthening the DHB. In excess of $45M were approved for the supply and installation of cluster piles at the bridge, and more than $140M were granted for fabrication and installation of two extra large pontoons.

Cabinet also approved more than $66M for the supply of 8,000 feet of one-inch DIA hot dip galvanized anchor chains and 180 ‘snatch’ blocks, which would aid navigation of the bridge. Moreover, $25M would be spent to rehabilitate 80 buoys for the bridge.

Cabinet had also signalled its ‘green light’ for a $57,200 Euros contract to supply and install a ‘PLC’ system for the retractor/acceptor span on the DHB. That ‘PLC’ system would replace an existing system that was installed decades ago, and has not been keeping up with the rigorous demands of traffic and the opening and closing of the bridge.

“And what is being done is a dismantling, a total removal, of the old obsolete system, and its replacement by a modern PLC system,” Dr Luncheon had said.

An engineer from a Dutch firm had been responsible all these years for maintaining the operations and functioning of that retractor span, and that firm has been given permission to replace the existing retractor span.

Cabinet had earlier approved two additional contracts that allow for strengthening of the DHB. One award of $52.33M was approved for the supply and installation of cluster piles, while $38.04M were approved for supplying 60,000 feet of galvanized wire rope.

The cluster piles would provide some element of protection of vital infrastructure on the bridge.

“So that offending bodies like drifting ships and tugs and barges would first encounter these piles before they inflict damage on vital elements or structures on the bridge,” Dr Luncheon explained.

A mishap on the DHB last year saw the jaws of a temporary pontoon failing, resulting in the section of the overpass between spans 60 and 61 submerging. The 6,074-foot, or 1.851-mile-long Demerara Harbour Bridge, which is about 34 years old, is a crucial link across the Demerara River from Peter’s Hall in the east to Schoon Ord in the west.

(Telesha Ramnarine)