Demerara River Bridge commissioning…

–Minister Edghill urges public to join the celebrations, welcome new era of transformation

THE wait is finally over, as proud footsteps of thousands, prayers and fireworks will mark the grand commissioning of the new Demerara River Bridge, on Sunday.

Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, during a press briefing on Friday in the ministry’s boardroom, extended the invitation to Guyanese from every corner of the country to come and welcome this new era of transformation at 5:30 p.m./17:30 hrs.

The official activities will take place on the southern carriageway on the approach road to the bridge (Heroes Highway entrance).

Minister Edghill said: “The Northern carriageway will remain unencumbered, and it will remain unencumbered until the bridge has been open and the President (Dr. Irfaan Ali) and all Guyanese who are invited to join him, walk the 2.9 kilometres across the bridge and return by way of a motorcade on the northern carriageway.”

During the walk, participants will have access to two water stations, toilet facilities, and emergency services.

With prayers, dazzling cultural showcases, fireworks and the horns of ships in unison, the minister said this will symbolise a new era in Guyana’s modernisation and transformation.

The horns of all ships will signal the end of years of “restraints and hardships” caused by the old bridge’s opening and closing schedule, the minister stated.

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali will give the feature address, and he will be joined by several other officials.

Minister Edghill urged citizens not to let “mischief makers” mislead them by driving fear into their hearts with untruths.

Throughout the construction, the minister said, all the necessary tests have been done.

STANDARDS NOT COMPROMISED

“We have not compromised on standards,” he stated.

Edghill added: “As a matter of fact, the project engineers and members of his team would have travelled to China to test materials that were used on the bridge to ensure it meets the standards. The consultants have also been in China to test those…All the quality assurances have been tested throughout the entire project, and in the final stages, the load testing to ensure that the cable stay section is in order and everything is safe and that was made public.”

The bridge has passed international benchmarks for its safety. Its twin towers are anchored by 76 massive piles, each drilled 400 feet into the earth, equivalent to burying a 40-storey building upside down.

More than 72,000 cubic meters of high-strength concrete and 9,250 tonnes of steel reinforcement form its foundation, ensuring unmatched durability.

Its 136 cable-stays, the longest stretching over 500 feet, were engineered to withstand immense tension and even the concrete itself achieved strengths surpassing 10,000 psi, exceeding conventional standards.

Further, the project followed strict international codes, including AASHTO standards used in the United States, ISO benchmarks for quality, and American material testing protocols.

Behind the design is the globally respected T.Y. Lin International, the same team behind major bridges in Canada and Asia. Construction was executed by the China Railway Construction Company, ranked among the top three global contractors, with more than 15,000 kilometres of bridges to their name.

Oversight came from both international and local experts, including Italy’s Politecnica and Guyana’s SRKN Engineering, ensuring that every bolt and beam met global best practice.

Adding to this, nearly 1,000 students and engineers visited the site during construction, including the Guyana Association of Professional Engineers.

Notably, the project underwent the first-ever independent ISO audits for a public project in Guyana.

More than 27,000 material tests were conducted in internationally certified labs, factory inspections overseas verified every component before shipment and finally, real-world load tests confirmed the bridge’s performance before it was cleared to be opened

Arrangements have been made for parking at the Guyana National Stadium, and when citizens park at the stadium, there will be complimentary buses. Knight Rider has been engaged, the minister said, to shuttle people from the stadium to the ceremony.

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) has signalled that they anticipate thousands in attendance and thus special traffic measures will be in place to minimise disruptions.

For commuters from Region Three, special traffic arrangements will be in place:

• Westbound traffic on the old Demerara Harbour Bridge will operate on two lanes between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
• Eastbound traffic will benefit from the same arrangement between 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Traffic Chief Mahendra Singh said that a series of measures to ensure smooth traffic flow will be in place on both the eastern and western approaches to the old bridge.

From Rome to Mandela/Eccles, Greenfield, and Heroes Highway officers will be stationed at the major intersections to manage traffic and ensure continuous movement.

“Importantly, the speed limit will be adhered to. No matter where you are coming from, we want you to arrive alive and celebrate with the nation,” he said.

The Traffic Department emphasised its commitment to supporting what it described as a “road traffic engineering marvel” as the new bridge is commissioned this weekend.