The reconstruction of the bridge that collapsed more than a month at Tiger Creek in Region Eight is still facing weather-related delays even as the Ministry of Public Works (MoPW) is ensuring that the flow of vehicular traffic continues via a temporary bypass.
The new proposed date for the completion of the bridge is December 16th, 2020.
“Persons can still use the bypass. We are ensuring that the flow of traffic continues and we are doing our best to ensure that it moves faster. We are trying to ensure that the movement becomes easier,” a representative of the ministry told Stabroek News last week.
The representative noted that there was a meeting with the contractor and the ministry was notified that the delivery of logs to the site has been delayed by the weather. According to the representative, the contractor committed to have all materials in place by December 8, but this does not mean the pace of the reconstruction will improve as that will depend on the weather.
The bridge collapsed on November 3rd while being traversed by a heavy-duty truck. No one was injured. At that time, the Regional Engineer, Wendell St Pierre, told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that from a preliminary assessment, the bridge appears to have collapsed due to a damaged beam.
Works commenced on November 5th and are presently ongoing.
While the MoPW had crafted a three-week timeline for the completion of emergency works on the bridge, works have been delayed repeatedly due to heavy rainfall in the area.
The representative told Stabroek News yesterday that to date both abutments have been completed and the centre support piers have been completed but the delivery of the main log beams to the site continues to be delayed. He said that the contractor has cited continuous rainfall as the primary factor affecting overall accessibility and the ability to work unimpeded on the site.
