THE Public Infrastructure Ministry will soon commission the requisite surveys, including soil composition, distance, cost and skill availability, on both banks of the Demerara River in order to determine the most feasible location for a new bridge.
The Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB), at its present location, crosses the Demerara River 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Georgetown from Peter’s Hall, East Bank Demerara to Schoonord, West Bank Demerara.
The 6,074-foot (1,851 m) floating toll bridge was commissioned on 2nd July 1978 and was designed to last only 10 years. As it ages, the need for repairs to the flotation units, retractor spans, electrical systems and almost every component of the structure becomes more constant and costly. Its bitumen surface has also degraded significantly.
According to the ministry, there is need for a new structure since thousands of people utilise the existing bridge for their daily commute to work, to shop, to transport produce, to attend school, to access the two airports, the Essequibo Coast, Bartica and some hinterland regions.
Meanwhile, as government continues to actively pursue the construction of another bridge across the Demerara River, authorities have given assurance that the current structure remains in “fairly good” shape.
The DHB management is now moving to introduce night retractions to help reduce the daily congestion that occurs when it is closed to vehicular traffic.
The final report of the prefeasibility study which was done for the construction of a new DHB was released in October 2013 by then Public Works and Hydraulics Minister Robeson Benn.
According to the report, a new high-level, four-lane fixed- bridge structure at Houston, Greater Georgetown, to Versailles on the West Bank of Demerara, is the only economically feasible alternative. The document estimates that the cost would be some US$264M.
Over the past year, the DHB administration has had to spend in excess of $337 million replacing major components on the structure. Three pontoons were fabricated at a cost of $134 million, while another 18 were serviced utilising some $96.7 million.
In one instance, the bridge had collapsed, leaving persons stranded in Georgetown while others were forced to travel in speedboats at night in an effort to reach their destinations.
Talks about the possibility of a new bridge have been ongoing for more than a decade, after it was acknowledged that the lifespan of the existing floating bridge was coming to an end. (Rabindra Rooplall)