— NICIL CEO says long-term misuse likely contributed to collapse

Following the collapse of a section of the wooden walkway on the Wismar-Mackenzie Bridge, discussions are underway to facilitate comprehensive repair of the structure with technical support from the Ministry of Public Works.

Chief Executive Officer of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), RK Sharma, confirmed this development on Monday in an invited comment to the Guyana Chronicle. He noted that the incident likely resulted from the long-term misuse of the wooden infrastructure.

“We are in discussion with the Ministry of Public Works to have technical support and expertise to oversee a comprehensive repair of that walkway. That, of course, would ensure that you don’t have such a recurrence,” Sharma stated.

The incident occurred around 18:27 hrs on Sunday. At the time, an adult and a child were travelling along the walkway on an electric bike when it gave way. Both individuals were swiftly rescued by public-spirited citizens and taken to the Linden Hospital Complex for observation.

Sharma confirmed that both were treated and subsequently discharged after medical evaluation.

As repairs are undertaken, Sharma stressed the importance of reinforcing proper use of the infrastructure. He said that vehicles should not encroach on the section designated for pedestrians, which was not designed to bear heavy traffic.

Meanwhile, construction is ongoing on a new four-lane Mackenzie-Wismar Bridge in the vicinity of the existing structure. According to the Guyana Police Force, traffic has since returned to normal following the Sunday evening incident.