Tiger Creek Bridge completed
─ to accommodate heavy vehicles next week
The bridge is complete with the methods being worked on, the Ministry of Public Works said yesterday.
Kaieteur News – The rebuilding of the Tiger Creek bridge, Potaro-Siparuni (Region Eight), which collapsed on November 3, is complete.
However, Wendell St. Pierre, Divisional Engineer with responsibility for Region Eight in the Ministry of Public Works, told DPI that other work is still ongoing.
“The bridge is finished, but the contractors have been unable to complete the approaches due to the inclement weather,” he said.
St. Pierre that the contractor plans to complete the approach on both sides of the bridge by late yesterday.
Once the approach is complete, he anticipates that the bridge would include its full tonnage from next week.
The new Tiger Creek bridge is a log bridge, built with Greenheart wood. It is stronger and located higher above the inlet than the previous bridge.
In addition, Pierre said, a bush was cleared around the shoulders of both hills on both sides of the bridge, though this was not part of the contracted work. This work was done to allow more sunlight to penetrate the road in the rainy season.
On Monday, the Ministry of Public Works said the bridge would only contain light vehicle traffic of no more than 14 tons.
Following the fall of Tuesday, November 3, the Ministry had crafted a three-week schedule to complete the work on the bridge, but this deadline was extended due to rain.
The Ministry is providing technical assistance on the project, while the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission is tasked with carrying out the repairs.