Juan Edghill, Minister of Public Works has disclosed that the Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed for a period of three days in the last week of July.
This closure is scheduled to start from 11:59 pm Monday 24th July 2023 to 11:59 pm Thursday 27th July 2023. This is to facilitate the replacement of span nine on the bridge.
Advised by his technical staff at the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation, the minister said this specific time period is based on the tide between July 25 to July 29. While the logistics for this replacement were also meticulously planned during the closure of the school term, to ensure a smooth transition, and as little inconvenience to the public as possible.
This notice is also being made one month ahead of schedule to ensure persons and businesses make requisite changes where necessary: persons travelling out of the country at the time of the closure, those with doctors’ appointments and other important engagements, etc., are being urged to note these changes.
Minister Edghill said the government understands the significance of this replacement and is committed to seeing this project through, as this new retractor which spans 170 feet long and 40 feet wide and is valued at $1.2 billion, will result in a much smoother operation (retractability) in the future, which will also enable wider vessels to pass through the channel.
The minister also appealed to commuters and businesses for their understanding and support during these three days of closure of the bridge, as the replacement of span nine cannot be done while traffic is flowing.
Last year September, span nine was damaged when the Panamanian flagged vessel, MV Tradewinds Passion crashed into the bridge during a retraction period and rendered the bridge inoperable for several days.
Since then, that damaged section of the bridge had to be repaired several times, while plans were being made to replace the unit altogether.
Repairs to span nine were undertaken by a local company, Industrial Fabrications Inc (InFab), which was completed in late 2022.
In May this year, span nine was transported from the dockyard to the bridge for the perfect time and tide for installation.
