Nearly two months after construction work began, the main access bridge to the village of Bagotville, West Bank Demerara is taking shape. When completed, it will ease the periodic traffic congestions that have occurred since the bridge sank in June.
Works on the $120 million main access bridge at Bagotville, WBD are moving apace
The structure, which runs across the access channel into Canal Number One Polder, began to sink owing to heavy rainfall and erosion over the years. A temporary bridge built of greenheart lumber was constructed near the site to assist in the flow of traffic.
When this newspaper visited the area on Sunday, steel and concrete were laid across the path from north to south, while an outline of an accompanying walkway was seen on the right side of the new structure. Construction works to the walkway on the opposite side were still ongoing.
The Public Infrastructure Ministry had sought an additional $120 million under its bridges programme for reconstruction and critical rehabilitation works for the bridge, which links La Grange to Bagotville and several areas, including Canal Number One Polder and La Parfaite Harmonie Housing Scheme.
After the bridge had initially sunk, those affected had pleaded with the Public Infrastructure Ministry to have the structure rehabilitated, since it was hindering the smooth flow of traffic and causing an unnecessary build-up.
Guyana Times was told that the new steel-and-concrete structure would be able to withstand both corrosion and the weight of heavy-duty vehicles that often traverse the bridge, as opposed to the older structure, which was partly constructed out of wood. The project for the bridge’s rehabilitation was awarded to Gaico Construction.
