Georgetown, GINA, April 07, 2008.

Government will be undertaking major repairs to the bridge across the Demerara River from Linden to Wismar in Region Ten (Upper Demerara/Upper Berbice) as part of its ongoing programme to maintain and upgrade the country’s infrastructure. This is expected to cost about $95M.
Coordinator of the Works Services Group of the Ministry of Public Works and Communications Leon Goring said tenders for the project have been received and these are currently being assessed.
Based on a condition survey conducted by the Linden Mining Enterprise Limited Secretariat last November, a restriction of 28.8 tonnes gross vehicle weight was imposed immediately for crossing of the bridge.
This structure provides access for thousands of vehicles daily, particularly heavy-duty trucks laden with logs and other timber products being transported from as far as Regions Eight and Nine.
At present, a programme is underway to address the weight limits of heavily-laden vehicles traversing the roadways and bridges, particularly along the Soesdyke/Linden Highway since is has been observed that these vehicles are contributing to serious damage of roads and bridges.
Based on a preliminary exercise conducted, it was observed that 100 percent of the heavy-duty vehicles that traverse the roadways are overweight.
The programme was initiated in Linden to control the weight limit on the Soesdyke/Linden highway, one of the country’s main corridors for transport of heavily-laden vehicles.
Several mobile scales were procured and are being used at the bridge from Linden to Wismar and the Demerara Harbour Bridge. Other scales installed at the Rosignol and New Amsterdam ferry stellings are being used to carry out the programme in these areas.
Efforts are also being made to acquire and install four fixed-scales at various locations across the country. Recently, the contractor visited the areas where the scales are to be installed and conducted assessments to commence construction designs.
It is expected that the operators of the targeted vehicles will comply with the necessary weight limits and regulations to ensure that road safety and traffic management are addressed in addition to protecting longevity of the roads and bridges.
Over recent years, various measures have been taken to ensure that the country’s infrastructural network continues to improve for the benefit of all Guyanese. In this regard, construction of the Essequibo road and East Bank Demerara four-lane highway and rehabilitation of the Mahaica to Rosignol route were realised.
At present, rehabilitation of the highway from New Amsterdam to Moleson Creek and bridging of the Berbice river to link Region Six with the rest of the country is being pursued.