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| Works Minister Jack Warner inspects the damaged road |
Works Minister Jack Warner gave the assurance Wednesday that the work will be done right away “because the fact is, we must leave nothing unturned to let the people of this region know they, too, are as important as anywhere else.”
Warner told reporters he visited the area just two weeks ago. He said at that time he didn't notice any serious problem. However he gave the assurance that the ministry will begin work on the Matura road right after the New Year's holiday.
The district engineer for the Highways Division explained that the road near the Matura Police Station began falling about four weeks ago after nearby river running flooded and washed away a part of the of the slope behind a retaining wall.
Chatram Sooklan said that caused the erosion that resulted in the collapse. He explained that rebuilding the road is urgent because it is the only access from Sangre Grande to Matelot.
“Every time the rain falls, the road slips a little more,” he said. “Among other things we will have to construct heavy retaining structures and pilings. It will take some time but it has to be done.”
Construction on the 25 metre-long Salybia bridge, which officials opened Wednesday, began in November 2007 with an original budget of $6 million. Cost overruns, attributed mainly to design flaws, pushed it to $9 million.
It's one of five bridges to be constructed in the constituency of Toco/Sangre Grande, MP for the area, Dr Rupert Griffith, told reporters.
“I think it’s safe to say this constituency was one of the most neglected and decrepit I have ever seen but we have started the effort of rebuilding and redeveloping. I want to tell you that, at the end of our five-year term, Toco/Sangre Grande will not be the same. It will be a different place and a constituency that we all will be proud of,” Griffith said.
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