TRAFFIC on the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) was halted following an accident early Sunday morning, but resumed hours after engineers and technical staff of the bridge sprang into action to complete needed repair works.

According to a release, the team had to repair Retractor Span Nine after a passing vessel hit the edge of it and pushed it out of line, also causing breakage of the connecting end post at Spans Eight and Seven.

The release noted that at around 11:31 hrs, a vessel by the name of Desal 1 with two tugs, Alpha 1 and Chaka, transporting sand was travelling northbound when it hit a retractor span (the edge of Span 9) of the Demerara Harbour Bridge. The hit pushed the bridge out of alignment, causing the breakage of the connecting end post at Spans Eight and Seven; this in turn caused a transom to be warped (slight opening).

The accident also caused several buoys to burst, the release said.

Hours after the accident, Public Works Minister Bishop Juan Edghill said the Demerara Harbour Bridge has been reopened to vehicular traffic.

“This as engineers and technical staff of the DHB have completed repair works, after an accident earlier today (Sunday) shifted the bridge out of alignment, resulting in the bridge being closed off for several hours,” the release said.