Work has started on the bridge that links Hampton Court and Devonshire Castle on the Essequibo Coast and according to the contractor work will also start soon on a second bridge that links Better Hope and La Resource.
On September 14, following endless complaints from residents of the surrounding areas, particularly drivers, Stabroek News had published a story on three bridges along the Essequibo Coast that were in dire need of repair. Last Thursday, work started on one of the bridges that was the subject of that article; the one at Hampton Court/Devonshire Castle.
Samaroo Investment was awarded contracts for the Hampton Court/Devonshire Castle and the Better Hope/La Resource bridges to the tune of $17 million and $15 million respectively.
When Stabroek News contacted the contractor Mr Samaroo, he said He said that the materials being used on both bridges are wooden beams with concrete decks and galvanized rails.
Previously, the bridges had no rails and residents had spoken about the danger this posed to pedestrians. Samaroo said work will start on the Better Hope/La Resource bridge in the next two weeks and that both bridges would be completed by the end of the year.
Asked whether his company was also awarded a contract for the bridge between Better Success and Plantation Andrews – the third bridge in the September 14 article – Samaroo responded: “I know that the bridge is worse than the rest but no contract was awarded as yet for that bridge.”
Contacted, Region Executive Officer Sunil Singh said no contract would be awarded for the Better Success/Plantation Andrews bridge. However, he added that at present his office is in the process of accumulating materials to repair that bridge.
With regard to the other two bridges, Singh said they will be done almost simultaneously in that the contractor will work on half of the Hampton Court/ Devonshire Castle bridge, leaving the other half open to traffic. When that half is completed, he said, work will start on half of the Better Hope/La Resource bridge while the completed half of the Hampton Court bridge is left “to cure”. Work will then return to the second half of the Hampton Court bridge, while the first half of the Better Hope bridge is “curing”.
Singh did not say when the regional administration hoped to start working on the Better Success bridge.
