First precast girder installed for new Demerara River Bridge

Construction of the Demerara River Bridge entered a new phase Friday morning with the installation of the first precast girder.

This horizontal beam, designed to support the bridge’s deck and traffic load, was placed on the substructure completed in a prior phase.

Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill witnessed the milestone event at the bridge’s western end.

Speaking to the media, he described the placement of the girder as a significant achievement in the bridge’s construction timeline.

“In the construction phase, there are different important milestone events. For example, when we started pouring concrete for the piers, that was a milestone event. This now, where we are connecting the girders is another milestone event,” the public works minister stated.

With the placement of the girders and several construction challenges resolved, Minister Edghill emphasised that the bridge remains on track for its targeted completion date of March 2025.

“A particular challenge was to get the things shipped to Guyana and that has been addressed.  The operation here at the bridge is a 24-hour operation and I would think that within the last months that we visited, progress has been continuous and so we are on track,” the minister posited.

He also confirmed that sections of the cable-stayed portion of the bridge have arrived in the country, with the remaining components on the way.

The connection of cables from the west to the east side will mark another major achievement.

According to project engineer, Patrick Thompson the process of installing the first girder began at 5 am, starting with its transportation from a nearby precast yard just 200 metres away.

Each girder measures 42 metres and weighs approximately 120 tonnes.

“The girder is then going to be connected to the girder launcher…and then it’s going to be launched unto the first two piers. For this project, we have to launch a total of 472 girders, each set of piers will have eight girders connected,” he said.

The girder launcher, custom-built in China for this project, has a capacity exceeding the girder’s weight, ensuring efficient operations. Moving at a speed of just two kilometres per hour allows for precise placement.

Once the first eight girders are installed, the launcher will be repositioned and the process will repeat until all girders, including those for the central span, are in place.

The installation of the first eight girders is expected to take about a day.

Thompson revealed that the bridge’s construction is about 60 per cent complete, while the overall project, including ancillary works, is at 75 per cent.

By the end of December, the bridge is expected to reach a height of 112 metres, up from its current 73 metres.

The bridge is being executed by China Railway Construction Corporation Limited and the supervisory firm, Politecnica.