Marine traffic halted after Harbour Bridge crash
―Motor vehicle traffic continues to flow
DPI, Guyana, Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Late last night the hydraulic cabin of the Demerara Harbour Bridge was damaged after a vehicle ran off the bridge.
The hydraulic cabin is the main unit that retracts the bridge.
While the driver has been rescued and reported with no injuries, his vehicle remains submerged and the hydraulic cabin has been broken.
The General Manager (GM) of the Demerara Harbour Bridge, Rawlston Adams, has stated that the damage is currently being assessed. “The damages are, the hydraulic fuel tank and the pipes are broken. We have to remove the entire cabin, take it into the [workshop] and have it fixed,” Adams told DPI.
So far, the bridge remains partially operable; motor vehicles, including trucks, will be able to traverse the bridge. Unfortunately, the damaged hydraulic cabin will halt marine traffic.
“We are not sure of any critical components being damaged. For now, we cannot retract the western side of the bridge and large vessels will not be able to pass through,” GM Adams explained.
The General Manager explained that when the damaged parts have been retrieved and sent to the workshop, the Demerara Harbour Bridge Cooperation will have a better understanding of the extent of damages in terms of cost and the time it will take for the bridge to be fully operational.
The crashed vehicle will be uplifted when the tide lessens and motor vehicle traffic will continue to flow until further updates.