–retractions to resume with the acquisition of critical part, Minister Edghill says

MINISTER of Public Works, Juan Edghill, has said that just around $1 billion has been expended so far on repairs to the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB), which was severely damaged when a marine vessel crashed into the structure that links the East Bank of Demerara to the ‘west side.’

The minister, in an invited comment, said that while such a hefty sum has already been expended, there is still “much more” to be done before the bridge could be fully operable.

“We are working on it, it is nowhere near finished, but we have significantly advanced… great work is being done by the engineers and the contractors,” Edghill related.
With work moving apace, it is expected that bridge retractions are likely to resume by Saturday, paving the way for a greater flow of marine traffic.

Minister Edghill said that a much-needed winch was delivered on Thursday morning and will be installed by engineers.

“We had to get a winch repaired; it was delivered by the private sector contractor by 10:00 o’clock this morning because getting the bridge functional for vehicular traffic is only one aspect, we have to get the bridge functional as well for marine traffic,” Edghill said.

The installation of this significant piece of equipment will allow for the resumption of retractions along the bridge.

“We are hoping to get our first retraction maybe tomorrow or Saturday, that is why it was important for us to get the winch by this morning so it could be installed and tested so that we may very well be able to have retraction in another 24- 36 hours,” Edghill related.

He added: “We have to be able to do the retraction to allow for the passage of boats, we have to be able to keep fuel coming into the country, getting to various silos, [and] places where they have to deposit.”

He noted that while the bridge is opened to light traffic and vehicles weighing up to 12 tonnes, engineers and contractors have been working around the clock to have traffic flow returned to some level of normalcy.

“As of this morning, while everybody is seeing traffic flowing and moving, they [engineers] are still working miracles below, changing out pontoons, doing all kinds of things while still facilitating movement of people and goods to ensure that commerce keeps moving,” Edghill related.

ONGOING INVESTIGATION
Meanwhile, the minister related that the Board of Inquiry (BoI) tasked with investigating all the details surrounding what transpired in the accident, will soon provide a report.

“The board of inquiry went to work as of Sunday and my understanding is that they were taking statements at six in the morning, they were taking statements at 11 in the night,” he said, adding: “I think they have taken statements and spoken to more than 35 individuals… they had seven days to compile their report and, as of today, they are on schedule and I think I shall be receiving that report soon.”

At approximately 02:00hrs on Saturday, the MV Tradewind Passion, a ship consigned by GuyOil to transport fuel, which also carries a Panamanian flag, crashed into the bridge with its side.

The ship, which was supposed to drive in a southern direction to pass through the opening of the bridge, instead drove in a south-easterly direction and hit Spans Nine and Ten with its front and rear.

This resulted in the two spans of the bridge shifting some 45 degrees out of alignment. The ship was the fifth vessel to pass through the bridge for the morning. The vessel, the minister said, has since been impounded.

The collision sent several DHB workers, who were on the bridge at the time, literally running for their lives. One staff, Andrew Duke, who was communicating with the vessel via radio up until the point of collision, sustained a fractured leg, and has been released from the hospital and expected to make a full recovery.

“Yesterday, I visited Mr. Andrew Duke, his surgery was successful and he has been discharged to go home… we are lending full support , it might be a couple of months, a couple of weeks before he is back on his feet but he will heal with God’s help,” Edghill said.