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Thirteen-day-old Cane Grove Bridge sinks
Recently completed bridge constructions at Strathaven, Cane Grove, East Coast Demerara have begun to raise the eyebrows of villagers.
This comes even as one of the recently constructed bridges, leading out of the western side of the community, almost caved on Saturday, less than two weeks after its completion.
The 13-day-old Cane Grove bridge that sank after an excavator used it as pathway.
Residents explained that the community hosts three gateway bridges, two providing access to the western side and one leading into the eastern side.
They said that only recently, works were undertaken by authorities to rebuild some of the bridges, as they were visibly aged, after having served the community for approximately two decades. As it turned out, however, and much to the villagers’ dismay, the two bridges on the western side were the only ones to undergo reconstruction while the bridge leading into the eastern half remains untouched.
More than that, it was one of the gateway bridges on the western side of the community that sank under the weight of an excavator. Fortunately, villagers on that side have the option of using the second bridge as the other “cannot serve its purpose anymore”.
This has now become a cause for worry among the villagers as some expressed concern that “a bridge that cost millions of dollars did not even last two weeks”.
One resident, stationed close to the site, noted that “sloppy work” is to be blamed as reconstruction works were completed in “only a day and a half”.
Moreso, the resident noted that while arguments of the excavator “being too heavy for the bridge” were used to defend the substandard construction, bridges in that area ought to be built to hold heavy vehicles.
He informed that the community houses primarily families engaged in agriculture and, as such, the use of heavy vehicles to traverse the roadway and bridges would be a norm.
In further discrediting the recent construction works, the resident noted that the previous bridges have served comfortably for more than two decades, with minimal maintenance. He said that had the previous bridges undergone regular maintenance, they would have “lasted longer”.
“What’s the sense repairing two bridges on one side? Rebuilding a bridge on both sides would have been the common sensical approach to the situation,” one resident posited.
Residents noted that in order to upkeep the bridge on the eastern side of the community, residents had taken to conducting repairs through self help. It was noted that the Cane Grove Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) had provided materials while the residents contributed labour to repair the bridge temporarily. Still, the “patches” are not enough.
They are therefore calling on the authorities to adjust their plans to accommodate the rebuilding of the eastern bridge as well as conducting repairs to the new bridge that almost caved in. According to residents, the contractor responsible for the “sloppy work” should “face the consequences”.
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Shoddy work by the Contractor. Cronyism and Nepotism.
If a bridge is not constructed to take industrial loads it must be marked and have a steel bar welded across to prevent loads over a certain height (and thus weight) from proceeding. See Bridge at St Ignatius in Region 9 for more info.