Cemetery Road Bridge reconstructed for $4.1M

May 22, 2012 News

– Residents claim the materials used are of ‘poor quality’
Residents of North East La Penitence, Georgetown, are claiming that the Cemetery Road Bridge, which is being constructed at an estimated cost of $4.1 M, is being built with “poor quality materials.”

The bridge which is under construction

The bridge which spans Sussex and Savage Streets, North East La Penitence on Cemetery Road, has been under construction for almost two weeks. It is expected to be operational within the next three weeks, according to the Engineer, Kelvin Clarke.
Despite numerous complaints of the deteriorated bridge surface, works only began after 16-year-old Elbert Thorne, a former student of Kingston Community High School and Zenon Academy, died when the vehicle he was in veered off the bridge two weeks ago.
Kaieteur News understands that he sustained head injuries, and that water had entered his lungs after he was trapped in the submerged car for several minutes.
The tragedy occurred after the car in which the mother and son were passengers hit a rut on the bridge and veered off into the La Penitence Canal.
Two days before the teen’s death, a US-based Guyanese, Christopher Giles, almost perished after his vehicle also toppled off the same bridge. He managed to unbuckle his seat-belt and crawl through the driver’s window.
Angry residents, in the wake of the second accident blocked the bridge and forced its reconstruction. But now that the bridge is being reconstructed, concerned residents are faulting the materials being used in the reconstruction.
“When it complete, after a few months it (bridge) will give the same problem again and a next set ah money will be spent again on that same bridge,” a concerned resident said.
Commenting on the cement mixture, the engineer said that the mixture is being procured from Readymix Concrete. “We bought the cement from the company; our workers did not mix the stuff.”
Another resident, Akeem (only name given) said, “They making a bridge and all we see is three spade and two wheel barrows and ten men. I don’t know what they doing. I know they were supposed to have a compactor to press down the mixture but they don’t have that so I don’t know what they making.”
Kaieteur News understands that residents say that if the bridge surface deteriorates again, taxpayers’ money will be wasted.
(Romila Boodram).