DHB’s ‘span nine’ complete, to be installed soon – Min. Edghill

The Demerara Harbour Bridge’s (DHB) ‘span nine’ which is valued at $1.2 billion will be transported from the dockyard to the bridge for installation soon.

Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill made the announcement on Friday, when he handed over the new self-loading machine and power barge to the DHB.

The new retractor spanning 170 feet long and 40 feet wide was undertaken by local company, Industrial Fabrications Inc (InFab), and was completed in 2022 and will enhance the DHB’s retraction operation by enabling wider vessels to pass.  

Minister Edghill said the new retractor has been successfully completed and the team is awaiting the next suitable tide to replace the span.

“We are looking at timings, tide, and least interruptions. There have been rehearsals that have been done with both the contractor, and the Demerara Harbour Bridge staff to ensure that we can get this done swiftly,” Minister Edghill stated.

The replacement of span nine is a massive undertaking that cannot be done while traffic is flowing.

The removal of the existing span will leave a significant gap on the bridge.

Therefore, it is imperative that everything is done correctly and that the replacement process is executed flawlessly.

Once replaced, citizens will be able to see an enhanced retraction operation with a wider capacity to move vessels through the bridge.

The ministry will be utilising the newly commissioned power barge to transport citizens from the east to the west side during the replacement operation.