Despite the risk of serious injury or death and damage to their vehicles, motorists continue to traverse a condemned bridge at Lightbourne Road, Bonne Aventure, Gasparillo.
It is believed that villagers removed a bamboo barricade erected on Monday by the Couva Tabaquite Talparo Regional Corporation, resulting in a constant flow of traffic by light and heavy vehicles.
During a visit yesterday, Tabaquite MP Anita Haynes Haynes explained that the road was a major artery for residents and other commuters traversing in and out of the community.
Expressing concern for the safety of those using the bridge, she said, “This bridge has been repaired by the corporation two times over the past two years. We have had a number of plank replacements. Now we are calling on the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government to access its wooden bridge replacement programme and have this bridge replaced for us.”
She said it was a disservice to the people to have such dilapidated bridges still existing in T&T.
The MP intends to again raise the state of infrastructural neglect across her constituency.
“Again as we approach a discussion on Property Tax, look around people are passing here because they live in the community, they pass through the community, so how could you ask persons to pay more than their fair share and this is the kind of infrastructural service development that they get from the executive, “ she said.
While the Finance Minister spoke about infrastructure, connectivity and what it meant for economic development, she said, the minister is ignoring major communities.
“In Lightbourne we have a number of profitable farms as well, we have tomato farmers, we have a number of farmers who are doing their part to feed Trinidad and Tobago and yet still we are here talking about a wooden bridge and getting a wooden bridge replaced,” she said.
Since coming into office, Haynes said three bridges, including the Lighbourne bridge, have collapsed and they have 10 landslips, including major ones at Gran Couva and Poonah Road.
The other two bridges have already been replaced.
She added that they are just awaiting funding to have the landslips repaired and the Lightbourne bridged replaced as the technocrats have already submitted the costs and estimates.
Meanwhile, Caratal/Tortuga Councillor Jenna Lee Ramouar-Ramsaroop who accompanied the MP said the corporation would be putting back up the bamboo barricade at the bridge.