Demerara Waves Online News- Guyana Riding on the Crest of Truth
Last Updated on Saturday, 8 October 2022, 4:12 by Denis Chabrol
Commuters will Saturday be unable to cross the Demerara Harbour Bridge because an oil/chemical tanker smashed a section of that east-west corridor, President Irfaan Ali said.
“The Demerara Harbour Bridge is rendered inoperable after a vessel, MV Tradewind Passion, collided with the bridge,” he said on his Facebook page. Dr. Ali said efforts were being made to repair the bridge swiftly.
“A joint team of Government and Private Sector officials, including Ministers, are on the ground working to restore normalcy in the shortest possible time. An assessment is ongoing to determine the full extent of the damage. As soon as this assessment is completed, the public will be updated,” he said.
The Ministry of Public Works could not immediately say when the “structural damage’ bridge would be fixed.
“At this time there is no indication as to when the bridge will reopen to vehicular traffic, as our Technical Team is currently conducting damage assessments,” the Ministry said.
This latest damage to the bridge came as engineers and other workers were due to carry out maintenance works between 1 AM and 4 AM.
Just over a month on September 4, a tug and barges slammed into the bridge and caused it to be out of alignment.