Bill for Harbour Bridge repair over $1B- Edghill

Kaieteur News – Light traffic is flowing across the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB), but according to the Public Works Minister, Juan Edghill, repair works are “nowhere near finish”

Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill

The Demerara Harbour Bridge  Even as traffic flows Engineers are still hard at work on the bridge.

Edghill made this disclosure on Thursday during a Press Conference in the Ministry’s boardroom at Kingston.  He said, “…while everybody is saying that traffic is flowing and moving they are still working miracles below (conducting repair works underneath the bridge), changing out pontoons and doing all kinds of things while still facilitating movement of people and goods to ensure that commerce is moving…Its nowhere near finish.”

Edghill noted too that bridge does not only have to be functional for vehicular traffic alone but also for marine traffic and in order for this to happen the retraction must be working well. The Minister explained that marine traffic is important too because it ensures that fuel and other basic supplies enter the country. Nevertheless, he said, works have advanced significantly and this is because of the hard work the Engineers have put in to make the bridge partially operable again.

The bridge was inoperable for three days after a Panamanian-flagged oil tanker, MV Tradewinds Passion ,filled with fuel for the Guyana Oil Company Limited (GUYOIL) on Saturday last crashed into it. The damage caused was described as one never seen before by bridge engineers.

As it relates to cost of the repairs conducted so far, Edghill said that bill is “one billion dollars and counting” He iterated, however, that owners of the vessel will have to foot the costs. Meanwhile the DHB staffer who suffered a fractured leg during the Saturday’s incident was discharged from hospital on Thursday, one day after undergoing a successful surgery. Investigations by a Board of Inquiry into the incident are still ongoing.

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