Barr Street bridge to be given priority for repairs – Oscar Clarke
Barr Street on Thursday.
Barr Street on Thursday.

By Telesha Ramnarine

FOR roughly two months now, the Barr Street bridge in Albouystown has been out of order and authorities at City Hall are unable to give a timeframe for building a new bridge.The bridge, which serves as a key alternative for traffic coming from as far as the East Bank of Demerara, is in need of immediate attention after being closed to vehicular traffic.

Councillor Malcolm Ferreira had recently requested the City Council to provide an update on the works being done there, and City Engineer Colvern Venture responded that the tender document is being finalized after which it will be sent to the town clerk’s office.

“A redesign was done and we did a revision of what was proposed. The document just needs some fine-tuning before it is sent to the town clerk’s office to go out to tender.”

City Treasurer Ron Mc Calman offered that when the tender is completed and the proposed information as it relates to cost becomes available, then it would be determined if funds will be made available.

Meanwhile, Councillor Ferreira, in an invited comment, told this newspaper that he is hoping government will step in and assist the City Council in restoring the bridge. He described it as a “key artery” out of his constituency into the city.
At Monday’s statutory meeting, Chairman of the Finance Committee, Oscar Clarke, said once the matter is brought to the committee, the bridge will be put on the priority list.

“That bridge is so important to the city that it has to get priority. I would like to assure the council that once it comes to the Finance Committee, it will get priority treatment. I see no reason why that bridge should not be done on or before the last quarter of this year,” Clarke said.

At a previous statutory meeting, Councillor Heston Bostwick, a representative of the Albouystown community, had raised the issue of Albouys Street having to face the pressure now.

Although the bridge at Hunter and Sussex streets is also sinking, Bostwick asked that priority be given to the Barr Street bridge, while the others can be looked at later.

Barr Street serves as a key alternative to the La Penitence Public Road for vehicles coming from the East Bank of Demerara and heading to central Georgetown. The absence of this bridge contributes to a severe build-up of traffic in contiguous areas, and many of the streets in Albouystown are very narrow for two-way traffic.
Albouystown has long been regarded as a ‘high crime’ area, causing motorists to be hesitant about using the streets surrounding Barr Street.

 

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