Major infrastructural works set for Pirara bridge

-following collapse, temporary repairs earlier this month

-Minister Indar

Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Hon. Deodat Indar has said major infrastructural works would soon begin to repair the damaged Pirara Bridge in the Rupununi, Region Nine.

The Minister made this disclosure during an inspection of the site on Friday. He was accompanied by Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Hon. Nigel Dharamlall.

Earlier this month, emergency repairs were done on the bridge after a section of the structure collapsed under the weight of a lorry.

Speaking with DPI, Minister Indar said several measures would be taken to avoid an incidence like this recurring. This includes shifting the bridge about 10 feet, replacing the brace piles and the cross and longitude members (planks) which help to stabilise the structure, as they are cracked and some parts rotten.

“The bridge will take one week once the materials are here from what I’m seeing. They have 18 piles that need to be replaced. The water is low so now is the best time to replace it. But that is not the issue for Pirara only, it is not the issue, we have bridges, always being destroyed by heavy-laden trucks.”

Accordingly, he urges drivers of heavy-duty lorries to act responsibly and observe the weight limit of the bridges.  

“We are trying to make sure that the infrastructure that we take…taxpayers’ money, to put here is cared for. We are also cognisant of the fact that we do not want the cost of the bridge for the engineer’s estimates to be bloated, and so that is why we check how many piles going in and how long we’re going to extend the bridge longitudinally, the flat members and what the decking is going to be like. All the things we come and check for ourselves,” he said.

Meanwhile, charges would be filed against the driver who caused additional damage to the bridge after temporary works were done to facilitate light traffic. Minister Indar said this needs to be done since the driver’s actions were “selfish.”

“There needs to be some kind of you know, responsibility. We are all citizens of this country. The money that we spend here is your money, my money and that is the money spent here, and we cannot have people behaving in this manner. We have to put a stop to it,” he added.

Moving forward, both Ministers Indar and Dharamlall urged their respective officers in the Region to collaborate to realise the Government’s vision to develop the Region.

On April 11, the southern section of the 210–foot-long wooden structure collapsed after a heavy-duty truck attempted to cross the bridge, which serves as a link between Lethem and Annai.  Following this mishap, the Public Works Ministry effected temporary repairs to the damaged structure, which is about 30 per cent of the bridge.