WORK has finally started on the $18M Barr Street, Albouystown bridge, which has been closed to vehicular traffic for several months now, and Constituency Councillor Malcolm Ferreira believes that once the current pace of work is maintained, the bridge should become operable by February. The contract was awarded to Chung’s Global construction firm.Ferreira, in an invited comment on Tuesday at the council’s statutory meeting, told this newspaper that the finances are coming from City Hall as Government, despite repeated requests, did not provide any assistance.

According to him, the work that remains to be done is not very complex and hence, the bridge should be back in order sooner rather than later.

As he thanked the council for starting work on the bridge, Town Clerk Royston King offered that materials are currently being mobilised.

Meanwhile, Proportional Constituency Councillor Heston Bostwick had raised the issue of Albouys Street having to now face the pressure. 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.

He had expressed concern that vehicles will soon be unable to use any of the Albouystown links, as the other bridges surrounding the one at Barr Street are now feeling the pressure.

The councillor has observed that the bridges at Hill Street and Albouys Streets are becoming affected, as they now have to deal with more traffic than usual.

The Barr Street bridge 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 closure of this bridge contributes to a severe build-up of traffic in contiguous areas, and many of the streets in Albouystown are too narrow to accommodate 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.