Works begin on US$22M national bridge project
--- 27 earmarked from B’ce to Timehri
by Nivedta Kowlessar
Guyana Chronicle
July 12, 2003
Dwyidag Project Manager, Mr. Uwe Greisbach, briefs Works Minister, Mr. Anthony Xavier on the construction of prefab material for bridges from West Berbice to Timehri.
PREPARATORY works are proceeding on a US$22M project to build 27 bridges from West Berbice to Timehri, and the contractor is confident about starting production this month.
“We are quite sure we will start production in July”, Project Manager, Mr. Uwe Greisbach said yesterday at the Onverwagt, West Berbice site where prefab material is being manufactured.
The German firm, Dwyidag, last December signed a contract with the Government for the project to construct new bridges over the Mahaica and Mahaicony Rivers and smaller ones at several locations along the East Coast of Demerara.
Works Minister, Mr. Anthony Xavier makes a point to Dwyidag Project Manager, Mr. Uwe Greisbach during a tour at the Onverwagt bridge prefab manufacturing site, yesterday.
It also covers construction of 38 culverts, and is expected to be completed within 22 months. But Greisbach said there are always constraints to consider, in this case, two to three months to acquire pile and plank forms from Germany, transport time and Customs
formalities.
The small bridges are expected to be constructed in five to six weeks, while the others will take longer. The structures will consist mainly of 40-feet long pre-stressed concrete piles and planks and some 1300 and 900 of each, respectively, are being produced at Onverwagt.
Time keeper, Ms. Gloria Kajoon, helps tighten these nuts at the Onverwagt site where prefab material is being manufactured for bridges from West Berbice to Timehri.
Greisbach said some 130 workers have been employed, including those hired by sub-contractors, who are helping with the construction of the culverts.
Works Minister, Mr. Anthony Xavier who had a first hand look at the prefab works yesterday, said the Government is “quite pleased with the progress made so far”.
He said original constraints, as expected with any such major project, are “all behind us now” and the contractor is on schedule to start production this month.
“…we are hoping everything runs smooth,” Xavier added, noting that the authorities were “pretty heartened” about the works.
The project is part of the Inter-American Development Bank-funded ‘Main Road Rehabilitation Programme Phase II’.