Dear Editor,
There have been recent major upgrades on the road networks in the city. Old roads were demolished and new wider roads built. Where some of these newly minted roads join with the older roads are old bridges that cannot now cater to the types of traffic using the roads. I cite two locations that need urgent attention.
Firstly, there is the junction of Lamaha and Middleton streets. Lamaha Street from Vlissingen to Middleton was originally a one way street but with the recent upgrade it is now a two way street. The bridge immediately North of where Lamaha crosses Middleton was not built to accommodate East flowing traffic and it is now a traffic hazard due to the acute angle drivers have to take to turn north from Lamaha into Middleton. A recent Facebook post highlighted this problem and numerous road users related the difficulty they encounter at this point. In rush hour traffic it is a major bottleneck and many related that their vehicle was damaged while trying to negotiate this sharp turn.
At Duncan St and Bel Air road there is a bridge south of this intersection that is rapidly deteriorating due to the heavy-duty sand trucks that use the new Conversation Tree road. The Conversation Tree new road into Bel Air road and into Duncan Street seems to be a favourite route for heavy-duty trucks. Bel Air Road, from where the Conversation Tree new road ends to Duncan Street, was only resurfaced (and not rebuilt) and is rapidly sinking into the canal since it is incapable of handling the heavy trucks that now ply this route. But the biggest, and most pressing problem, is the bridge that is at the junction of Duncan Street and Bel Air Road. It is clear that the bridge wasn’t designed to accommodate the big trucks turning off of Duncan into Bel Air Road or vice versa. As a consequence trucks that are turning are breaking off the edges of the bridge. It has already deteriorated to the point where a small vehicle and a heavy duty truck cannot cross the bridge at the same time. If this is not dealt with in a timely manner it is only a matter of time before this bridge becomes impassable.
It is difficult to comprehend how engineers and contractors did not foresee this problem earlier. It is a simple issue of angles which any engineer worth his salt should have identified. Most likely there are similar issues along other road networks that were recently rebuilt.
Ministry of Public Works should rectify these problems immediately or at least put restraints on how the roads are used until the problem is addressed and rectified.
Yours faithfully,
M. Abraham
