Demerara Harbor Bridge- Guyana’s Largest Floating Bridge (Video)

The Demerara Harbour Bridge located in Georgetown Guyana is a 6,074-feet (1,851 m) long floating toll bridge. It was commissioned to be a major transportation link between the main city of Georgetown and West Bank Demerara. The construction of the bridge took 10 months of a total of only 2 years for the whole project. It was then completed in 1978 and was said to be the longest floating bridge until now. It was funded by the British Government and designed, manufactured and erected by Thos Storey. From the date established to present, the Demerara Harbour Bridge provides access for approximately 18,000 vehicles to transit between the east and west end daily, with a maximum vehicle tonnage of 22.4 tons. The bridge crosses the Demerara River 4 miles (6.4 km) south of the Guyanese capital Georgetown, from Peter’s Hall, East Bank Demerara to Schoonord, West Bank Demerara.

Features of the Harbour Bridge

The bridge includes a 240ft wide retractor span to allow the free passage of bulk ore carriers to the open sea as well as a raised section to facilitate the daily movement of small river craft and fishing boats.

Despite being required to last for only 10 years during which a permanent structure was to be built it is still, the only alternative to river ferries over 30 years later and is used by over 24000 vehicles a day.

Sitting across the Demerara River, approximately 6km from the river’s mouth, spanning from Peter’s Hall to Meer Zorgen, the Demerara Harbour Bridge is 2.0km long and has 61 spans.  Being kept afloat by 114 pontoons, the bridge has a horizontal clearance at its retractor span of 77.4meters to accommodate marine vessels.  In addition, the bridge has a vertical clearance of 7.9meters and horizontal clearance of 32meters at its high span which facilitates small marine vessels.

The speed limit of the Demerara Harbour Bridge is approximately 32 km/h (20 mph) with a weight limit 22.4 tons. The closing hours of the walkway are 06:00hrs-20:00hrs

Reel Guyana Video: Retraction at Dawn

Tip

You do not want to be stuch at one end of the bridge during a retraction session. Retractions can last up to 90 minutes and if you did not schedule your day to include this then you can be late of miss your time-sensitive appointments altogether. Link to Retraction Schedule: https://harbourbridge.gov.gy/retraction-schedule/

Bridge Rules

Rules for Vehicular Traffic

The traveling public shall comply with the following regulations:

• When the Bridge is closed to road and/or pedestrian traffic, barriers shall be placed across the Bridge Approaches at each end of the Bridge. Pedestrian walkways will also be closed.
• No Vehicles shall stop on the bridge unless required to do so by the Bridge Manager or any person lawfully carrying out his instructions.
  No Animal drawn vehicle, hand cart, snow-cone cart, or other vehicles of similar types shall be on the Bridge at any time.
• No vending of any kind shall be permitted on the Bridge or the approaches to the Bridge.
• No unauthorized stopping, parking or overtaking of vehicles shall be allowed on the Bridge.
• No U-Turn is permitted on the Bridge.
• Maximum weight limit on the Bridge is 22.4 Tonnes.
• The DHBC will facilitate special crossings for vehicles that cannot be accommodated using one lane of the bridge due its weight &/or wider width, under the premise that its gross weight is less than or equal to 25 tonnes.
• Vehicles measuring in excess of 2.3 meters or 8 feet in width including any projections on either side shall not be allowed to transit the Bridge without permission of the Bridge Manager. Such vehicles must stop and seek permission prior to accessing the scale.
• Permission is required for towing of vehicles on the Bridge. A solid tow-bar must be used to attach the two (2) vehicles which must be inspected and approved by DHBC prior to the vehicles being allowed to transit the bridge.
• Speed limit on the Bridge is 32 kilometers or 20 miles per hour.
• No defacing of Company Property.
• No damage to Company Property.

Rules for Marine traffic

All Masters, Owners and/or Agents of Marine Vessels shall comply with the following regulations:

• The master of any vessel requiring the retractor spans of the Bridge to be opened shall communicate by radio, telephone or in writing to the Bridge Manager at least 36 hours in advance of the expected transit to inform him of his request to pass through the Bridge, including time of intended passage and other relevant particulars of the vessel.
• The master of any Foreign vessel requiring to pass under the high span or through the retractor spans shall do so using local licensed Pilots.
• Before proceeding into the “Bridge Zone”, the master of the vessel shall, on reaching the limits on either side of the “Bridge Zone”, raise the Bridge Manager on Very High Frequency radio on channel sixteen (16) (156.8 MHz) and maintain radio contact with him until the vessel is finally cleared through the Bridge.
• When the Bridge is opened, notice shall be given to the vessel which shall then proceed into the “Bridge Zone” and transit.
• Masters of all vessels shall, before passing the northern and southern limits of the “Bridge Zone”, ascertain by visual observation, radio communication or other means that the Bridge is open.
• Shallow draught vessels with vertical clearance in excess of 7.3 meters or 24 feet, that is to say, measuring from the waterline to the uppermost projections of the vessels which cannot transit the high level span, shall be allowed to transit the retractor span.

Management of the Harbour Bridge

The Demerara Harbour Bridge is managed by the Management and Monitoring Unit, Demerara Harbour Bridge Rehabilitation Project (MMU-DHB-RP). It is a subsidiary of the Ministry of Public Works (MPW). but still functions independently. MMU maintains a full staff responsible for maintenance, management, construction and operation. It also maintains financial independence based on revenue earned from tolls (vehicle and water-borne vessels). They have a staff of about 60 people. Moreover, the schedule of closures to road traffic, alert messages for the public, details on the history of the bridge, etc. is available on the official Harbour Bridge website.

New Demerara River Bridge

In December 2015 tenders were received from twenty-three international and local companies for a new Harbour Bridge. In August 2017 plans were announced to construct a new Demerara River Bridge two kilometres north of the existing bridge, linking Houston on the eastern bank to Versailles on the western bank. It is hoped construction will begin in 2018 and be completed by 2020.

Article References

• https://harbourbridge.gov.gy/about-the-bridge/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demerara_Harbour_Bridge
• http://www.thos-storey.co.uk/demerara_bridge.php
• Main Image: Hotsta – Instagram Viewer Media by gtmemoirs: The 6,074-foot long Demerara Harbour Bridge is a floating toll