Simpson Bay bridge closed
to marine traffic indefinitely
Concerns had been expressed a year ago ~
SIMPSON BAY--The Simpson Bay bridge has been closed indefinitely to marine traffic because of the malfunction of a bearing, Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority Corporation (SLAC) announced last night.
The sudden decision to suspend all opening of the bridge “until further notice” was made following an 11:30am opening and inspection Tuesday.
The decision, which is likely to be welcomed by motorists who ply the Simpson Bay bridge, but is expected to severely disrupt the operations of the marine community, took the community by surprise even though one stakeholder said the community had alerted the Executive Council about a possible problem a year ago.
Because of the sudden closure, neither vessels in the lagoon nor vessels wishing to enter through Simpson Bay were able to fast-track their movements in or out of the lagoon.
SLAC said in a press release issued through the Government Information Service (GIS) last night that the malfunctioning of the bearing had been “discovered during a routine yearly inspection on Tuesday morning at the 11:30am bridge opening.”
SLAC said it was “working expeditiously to get the necessary part from the manufacturer” and to have the bridge back in operation shortly.
The corporation’s Managing Director Russell Voges said he regretted this unfortunate situation and any inconvenience it might cause to the marine community. He said everything was being done to facilitate the operation of the bridge as soon as possible.
“The marine community and other stakeholders will be kept abreast as soon as we have additional information when the part will arrive and what time schedule we are looking at for the repair operations. Once again, my sincerest apologies, but these things can happen,” Voges said.
Meanwhile, in an invited comment on this development, Kevin Gavin of FKG Rigging, the former president of the St. Maarten Marine Trades Association, said he had been informed by SLAC about the problem.
“A year ago the Marine Trades Association met with the Executive Council to inform them of our concerns that possibly the bridge was not in as good a state of repair as it should be,” Gavin explained.
He added: “We felt there was little maintenance being carried out. Intricate engineering does need regular maintenance and inspection. A major failure of the bridge would be a disaster for the marine industry and serious consequences too for shore traffic if the bridge got stuck in the open position.
“All I can say is that it is very fortunate a problem has been found now – just before the start of the season – and not later, say in January at the height of a busy season.”
He said in that regard he was very pleased the inspection had brought the problem to light and hoped the part would be flown in and the problem rectified as quickly as possible.
Tuesday’s routine inspection was conducted by Kees Tjaden and Jan Segers of Rijks Waterstaat (the Dutch Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management) and Central Welding and Iron Works, the manufacturers of the bridge and its extension. GIS said Tuesday was the first time the Dutch Ministry had inspected the Simpson Bay bridge.
GIS also reported that Stefan Thomsen of Central Welding and Iron Works had contacted his company’s purchasing department to order a new bearing and to fly it in as soon as possible. “Everybody is working diligently to get this mechanical problem solved in order to resume operations,” GIS said.
Central Welding and Iron Works manufactured the bridge in 1986 and its extension in 2003. And, according to GIS, Stefan Thomsen, the company’s representative, “also carries out annual inspections and maintenance to the bridge structure.”
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