Best Village bridge construction moving at slow pace – residents

…ambulances forced to wait to access hospital

The construction of a bridge leading into the West Demerara Regional Hospital at Best Village in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) has caused traffic congestion, as ambulances and other emergency vehicles were left to wait for an extended period of time to access the facility.

On Saturday, residents contacted Guyana Times, calling on contractors to fasten the pace at which the works are being done as they have been waiting for some time.
Shafeena Shaw, a resident, explained that the bridge grants access to the hospital and neighbouring villages. While construction works are in progress to construct a new bridge, these activities have been sluggish, with a makeshift setup for only one lane of vehicles.
As such, vehicles entering the facility are required to wait until the others in the approaching lane have left. She said on many occasions, ambulances are forced to wait until the traffic has cleared since there is no other alternative.
“They are taking their time on the bridge and people here are suffering…because I mean, a hospital is here and vehicles are coming in with emergency cases every minute of the day. You can’t be spending that long to construct it in such a high-traffic area,” she lamented.
Shaw expressed that emergency cases entering and leaving the medical facility should not be delayed. She added that residents who utilise the route have also been facing major traffic at peak hours.
“This is something that must be fixed soon because the bridge is the main exit from Best Village and the hospital…they should treat this as a priority and try to finish it faster. The trench is excavated and we are still waiting for the works to finish. We are calling on the ministry to look into this,” she expressed.