The Ministry of Public Works is considering instituting tolls for roads and bridges in the hinterland during the rainy season, in the wake of last Wednesday’s downing of a vital bridge while a truck carrying a bulldozer was crossing.
According to a GINA press release, the toll was one of the options considered when Minister Robeson Benn and a team of engineers and contractors met the Region Nine Administration, members of the neighbourhood democratic council (NDC) and the business community in Lethem to discuss the possible options for the Moco Moco Bridge.
The release from GINA said the use of weight restrictions and the upgrade of the collapsed bridge were also discussed, as well as having persons wishing to move heavy equipment walk them across the creek bed. However, it was noted that the use of the creek bed would not be feasible in very wet weather.
GINA said the final decision regarding the way forward is expected by Wednesday.
Having expressed concern over the reports being made about the wet weather and high stream flow, the ministry is looking at measures. The release said Benn noted that failure to do so will result in the loss of the bridges given the weather and their indiscriminate use.
“We are coming up with three options to consider by Wednesday; to have a temporary solution or a full solution with respect to the usage of the bridge…it cannot be used now and access to Deep South is only by going around through St Ignatius,” the release quoted him as saying.
Benn said the team looked at the bridge at St Ignatius, which is in a fairly sturdy condition, and will continue to be used in the normal way, that is heavy truck traffic will not be allowed across.
“We are very concerned that the bridges are mostly designed for 12 tonnes [the bridge which collapsed was designed for 12 gross tonnes] with a factor of safety of 1.5 tonnes.
It appears that there is frequent heavy loading of that bridge as it appears too for many others in the area,” the release quoted him as saying.
Benn told GINA that based on information, on the evenings of May 9 and 10, there were severe thunderstorms over the Kanuku Mountains in the vicinity of Moco Moco village, which resulted in heavy rainfall.
A torrential stream was formed and the Moco Moco River overtopped its banks, taking boulders and pieces of debris along with it. Further down, closer to Lethem, a torrent washed out the embankment leading to the second bridge and apparently washed out the foundation.
He explained that this caused damage in both Lethem and Moco Moco.
GINA said that persons bathing in the river on Wednesday noticed that one of the supporting pillars had fallen over completely and they warned someone passing in a Canter.
However, while the information was passed on in the community and to some persons at the RDC, the damage was not examined.
A few hours later, the release said, the truck arrived at the bridge but the occupants were unaware that the structure was compromised. No effort had been made to block the bridge so as to prevent heavy traffic from crossing it.
