Emergency works commence on Leguan stelling

The Ministry of Public Infrastructure says that the Leguan stelling, Essequibo Islands, will be back in operation by Friday, December 13 as emergency works are ongoing on the section that collapsed on Monday.

According to the Ministry, t rehabilitation works on the stelling commenced days ago, to the tune of $413 million.

“Works were being done on the Stelling, at another section of the structure, at the time of the partial collapse on Monday which resulted in a halt of operations in the best interest of the travelling public,” the Public Infrastructure Ministry noted.

During a visit to the stelling, Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure Jaipaul Sharma said the contract for the rehabilitation was awarded in August 2018, but due to a number of hiccups, the contractor recommenced works only two months ago.

“This Wharf was constructed some 15 to 16 years ago. You can see the force of the tide and in addition to that the deteriorated condition of the beams and piles caused by the saltwater and barnacles.

“These conditions were overwhelmed when a canter that was overladen with paddy traversed the section. It actually drove on the side that was the weakest and that caused the collapse.

“In collapsing it broke a number of the beams, as a matter of fact, all of the beams were broken…” Minister Sharma was quoted as saying in the release.

As a result of the collapse, Minister Sharma explained that the contractor was forced to neglect his works and focus on the section that required immediate attention.

“We had initially said we were going to open up two grids so if you notice there, those three rows of piles is the grid and two grids is going to be six piles. The extent of the damage is even wider than we thought so we are now going to open the deckings to have access to the two other grids,” the Minister noted.

In total 156 Timber piles will be driven. To avoid such instances from reoccurring in the future a special concrete mould will be placed to guard against the tide and waves.

Minister Sharma has recommended that provisions be put in place to monitor traffic management and weight restrictions during the period of construction.