Minister: $1.35b to upgrade bridges

Minister in the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure Stacy Roopnarine says dilapidated bridges soon will be a thing of the past. She said in the last financial year several bridges had been repaired by the Highways Division and the Programme for Upgrading Roads Efficiency (PURE) Unit. She made the statement in a news release yesterday.

She said in 2011 the ministry launched its bridges reconstruction programme. She said 92 bridges were targeted for repair under the programme from 2012 to 2017. The cost to repair the bridges is approximately $1.35 billion. She said phase one of the programme began last March. Tenders for the reconstruction of ten of those bridges were issued at the end of last month.

An additional tender for one additional bridge would be issued shortly. The bridges are scheduled for construction by next January, the release added. Roopnarine said she was happy to see landslides being fixed. She said last week the ministry reopened Morne La Croix Road, Arima. That bridge had been closed since last year, the minister said.

She said her ministry had a $1.75 billion five-year landslip repair programme. She added: “Landslips create major inconveniences to communities as they cut off access to children from their schools and create trouble to those accessing public transportation.”