New Demerara River Bridge: Works progress “ahead of schedule” as EBD road reopens– Edghill

– says project on track for August deadline

The section of the East Bank Demerara (EBD) public road that was closed over the weekend to facilitate works on the new Demerara River Bridge, was on Sunday afternoon expected to reopen at midnight on Sunday – hours ahead of the initial deadline.
The EBD corridor, between Nandy Park and Red Road in Providence, was initially slated to be closed from 04:00h on April 5 until 03:00h on April 7, to allow for the overhead installation of the pre-cast girder across the public road at Peters Hall.
However, the works were completed ahead of time.
“We’d be able to give you back this thoroughfare at midnight tonight,” Public Works Minister Juan Edghill told reporters on Sunday afternoon at the construction site, where he was updated on the progress of works.
According to Edghill, “We’re ahead of schedule… So, persons coming from the [Cheddi Jagan International] Airport, persons going to the airport, persons traversing [and] living along this thoroughfare should take note that the East Bank highway from the Harbour Bridge to Red Road will be fully reopened to traffic.”

The Public Works Minister explained that the early reopening was due to the hard work and dedication of the teams – the contractor, China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC); the supervisory firm, Politecnica; and the Ministry’s technical personnel.
“I want to thank the Guyanese people for their patience. We had to make a significant interruption to get this piece of work done… We knew that an interruption of this carriageway would cause great inconvenience, and a lot of planning was put into it. The execution was seamless, without incident, and we’re very very happy about that,” he noted.
At the time of the visit late Sunday afternoon, the girders were already installed and casting done. The eight-hour curing time had also elapsed, and the workers were in the process of removing the form work, as well as clearing the carriageway for resumption of traffic later that night.
Despite the delays encountered after some residents of Peter’s Hall refused to relocate and filed legal proceedings which they lost, significant progress has been made “in record time”, since the site was handed over to the contractor late last year.

Those delays, however, have pushed back the completion date of the bridge to August 2025 – a deadline that Edghill is confident would be met.
“We’re advancing the works, and for those of us who are wondering if the bridge is going to be finished by the deadline, that’s what we’re working towards… We’ve worked with the Chinese contractor and the consultant to increase their teams…”
“We’re on target for the new deadline and that’s why we’ve added additional staff. There are more than 100 people that have been added to [those who were] working. And you have to put fairness where it belongs: the contractors have been working around the clock, Sunday to Sunday,” the Minister noted.
As the installation of the girders and casting continues, work is simultaneously being executed on the two towers at the centre of the bridge in the Demerara River, where vessels will traverse without interrupting vehicular traffic. Another level has to be added to the two structures, to take them to 110 metres.
In the meantime, the cables are already being installed on both the western and eastern sides of the towers.
“On the western side, we have four cables out of 17 in and on the eastern side, there are three cables out of 17 in… When they put the cable-stay on the high section, where the ships have to pass under, they have to put the cables in and cast that section. When they finish casting that section, they have to give it a certain amount of time to cure, and then they’d be able to advance to another section,” the public works Minister explained.

According to Edghill, it is that curing time that is taking the project to the August deadline.
The new bridge would be a fixed, 2.65-kilometre (km), four-lane, high-span, cable-stayed structure across the Demerara River, with the width of the driving surface being about 23.6 metres. It will feature a bicycle lane, and would bring to an end the closure of vehicular traffic, with a 50-metre fixed-high span to cater for the free and uninterrupted flow of vessels. The river would be dredged along a 13.5-km stretch to accommodate large vessels.
Project Engineer from the Public Works Ministry, Patrick Thompson, explained to reporters on Sunday that the bridge would accommodate as much 36 tonnes of gross weight and for axle-load, about 12 tonnes per axle. The engineer explained that for cargo heavier than 36 tonnes, up to 100 tonnes, there will have to be a special crossing with proper management.
Once completed, the new bridge and extensive road upgrades along the EBD are expected to significantly reduce traffic congestion and travel time.
Only last month, President Dr Irfaan Ali conducted a visit at the new bridge and made it clear that no extensions will be granted to the contractors.
According to Minister Edghill on Sunday, “This is a transformational project that all Guyanese are awaiting. People just can’t wait, but we have to do it right, we have to make it safe and we have to ensure that we’re getting value for money, and we’re doing that every single day.”