Tabaquite MP wants rickety wooden bridge replaced

TABAQUITE MP Anita Haynes said there should not be any wooden bridges in Trinidad and Tobago in 2021, given the amount of money available to the State, even as it grapples simultaneously with the covid19 pandemic and economic challenges.

Haynes expressed this opinion to Newsday as she highlighted the deplorable condition of a wooden bridge at Lightbourne Road in the Caratal/Tortuga district in her constituency, used by hundreds of pedestrians and drivers.

She said some of them live in the district, while others use the road and by extension the bridge to get to and from the Solomon Hochoy Highway.

Haynes said the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation (CTTRC) had to condemn the bridge on Monday because of its dilapidated state.

As Haynes spoke, several vehicles crossed the bridge behind her at different speeds. In some instances, wooden planks on the bridge were raised and shifted out of place as the vehicles passed.

Some of the drivers paused to plead with Haynes for something to be done to fix the bridge.

A few pedestrians crossed the bridge at the same time.

Haynes and her constituency staff also pointed out several loose and rotting wooden planks on the bridge, along with loose and bent iron bolts which are normally used to keep the planks in place.

She said her staff visited the bridge in April and several letters were written to the Rural Development and Local Government Ministry "to seek assistance to replace the wooden bridge, because we are not simply seeking repairs at this point."

She said it would cost approximately $80,000 to replace it, and the Works and Transport Ministry has a wooden-bridge replacement programme.

Haynes said the bridge and the road constitute a major transport artery in Tabaquite.

She was upset that people had taken down caution tape and bamboo barricades on either side of the bridge, used to deter people and vehicles from crossing it, Haynes also said because they use the road to get to work, people are ignoring the road closure signs on either side of the bridge and taking a risk by crossing it.

"I urge citizens to heed the advice of the corporation..understand that the road is closed at this time and we are working expeditiously with the relevant agencies to get the bridge replaced."

Haynes said the state of the bridge also prevents emergency vehicles from responding to distress calls in the area.

"On Monday, a resident reached out to me and sent me photos of a fire truck that was unable to pass here over the weekend."

"For all the money that has been through this country," she said, "we ought not to have wooden bridges in 2021."

Haynes said the issue was one of delivering services to the people.

Saying her constituents are among the many citizens who diligently pay their taxes, Haynes said it is unfortunate that they "can't get a simple thing like a bridge."

Referring to the budget debate, which begins on Friday in the House of Representatives, and what Government needs from citizens to help TT through challenging health and economic times, Haynes said, "We also have to look at what the citizens need from the Government."

She added, "Infrastructural works fall squarely in the hands of the executive."

Reiterating that the Lightbourne Road bridge falls under the remit of the Rural Development and Local Government, Haynes said that ministry has been faced with small allocations, wide remits and funding not being released in a timely manner.

Haynes said only when the House's Standing Finance Committee deals with the 2022 budget in the coming weeks will people get a sense as to where resources were allocated, what was done and what was not done.

"What was promised in the budget (for) fiscal 2021...the whole fanfare...was not what was actually released to agencies who have to deliver on their mandate."

Haynes said another wooden bridge in Hauser Trace, near Lightbourne Road, was replaced by a Bailey bridge.

She said if Government is serious about rural and infrastructural development, it needs to "release the allocations to the relevant ministries so that they can get the job done."