Urgent works begin on Liliendaal Bridge

Following the surprising closure of the Liliendaal bridge on the East Coast of Demerara on Thursday, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure yesterday said that slated works were initiated earlier than planned based on a recommendation by engineers.

In a statement issued yesterday, the ministry said works had been slated to commence on the bridge on March 6th, but they were pushed up due to the urgency. These works, to the tune of $89M, will see the bridge being converted to a pre-stressed concrete structure over the next four months, the ministry explained.

According to the ministry, the decision to begin the works early was made after inspections by a Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) Inspection Team, and engineers attached to the ministry.

The ministry said the DHB team recommended that the Liliendaal Bridge should be urgently closed to traffic based upon findings which showed that one of the panel systems on the northern rail of the Liliendaal Bridge demonstrated signs of imminent failure.

It was noted that one of the panels in the system had been detached, rendering the system structurally unstable. Additionally, a section of the northern carriageway of the bridge also experienced serviceability failure demonstrated by excessive deflection, it added.

The ministry statement said an additional inspection was subsequently carried out by the ministry’s team and its engineers concurred with the initial assessment. “The Ministry’s team has given its assurance that a timely closure will be coordinated with the contracting company, H. Nauth & Sons Civil Engineering Contractors, to facilitate the commencement of the road works while negating any traffic hazards,” the statement added.