Golden Grove Road reopens with Bailey bridge

Golden Grove Road in Arouca reopened to traffic on Tuesday after a temporary Bailey bridge was installed over the Arouca River.

The original bridge, near the Golden Grove Prison, collapsed on October 13.

It is believed to have been the result of heavy rains in north-central Trinidad.

Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan said there had been tireless efforts to shorten the time the road had to remain closed.

The Ministry of Works and Transport said that authorisation granted for the partial opening of the Priority Bus Route (PBR) from Arima Old Road to Orange Grove Road ended at 2pm on Tuesday.

Sinanan told the media the ministry is working on plans for a new bridge, which it will build.

“We have decided that we will do the internal design, which should take around six weeks. The plan is a project that is carried out at home due to the new normal and expenses. This is a good sign. More projects can be carried out by our team,” said Sinanan.

Sinanan said 25 of 62 bridges identified as most in need have also been repaired.

This project will be carried out through the Bridges division of the ministry with the help of the Tunapuna and Arima Borough Corporations. Sinanan said it should take no more than six-eight months.

The temporary bridge is one-way and has two digital traffic lights on each side.

A 12-inch water main under the bridge burst when it collapsed. Sinanan said WASA had diverted the pipe and will return to see what work is needed.

Initially it was reported that the burst water main had caused the collapse of the bridge. After investigation by both WASA and the ministry, Sinanan said the cause of the collapse was the age of the bridge and erosion.

Water supply to affected residents was restored.