A NEW bridge leading to the Ocean View Housing Scheme at Uitvlugt, West Coast Demerara, will be completed shortly, Region Three (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara) officials said Wednesday. Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle on the telephone, Information Officer Jaidev Singh said approval has been given by the relevant authorities for the bridge to go out for public tendering. 
Singh said this would be done within a week’s time.
The Uitvlugt Bridge has been closed to vehicular traffic since last December, due to its deplorable state, and has reportedly caused severe inconvenience since it is the key bypass to the housing scheme.
A new bridge, Regional Chairman Julius Faerber reported, will have to come under the region’s capital programme; but since no provision was made for it in the annual budget, the administration is unable to have it constructed.
Faerber had told the Chronicle, by telephone, that the regional administration will work with the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo)) to effect repairs to the bridge. The bridge, which was built by GuySuCo, was not suitable for heavy traffic.
Faerber mentioned that because the administration did not make provision for the necessary repairs in its budget, it will have to rely on some of its savings to help with the job.
He said the administration will notify GuySuCo of the amount it managed to garner and request that the latter contribute the additional funds.
Meanwhile, the other access bridge, though in a deplorable state as well, is accommodating all of the traffic, including heavy-duty vehicles, much to the severe inconvenience of the public.
However, because it is made of wood and because of the volume of traffic traversing it, it would have to be repaired with millions of taxpayers’ dollars annually.
Some concerned citizens said a logical solution would be to build a modern, concrete, heavy-duty replacement with a walkway to cater for children and other pedestrians.