Construction work continues on a new Bailey Bridge in Dominica that links the two areas, Delice and Petite Savanne.
Dominica’s Road Project of the new Bailey Bridge has been in progress and is taking place smoothly. The road project initiative focuses on a connecting bridge named Bailey Bridge that will link the two important areas of Dominica, Delice, and Petite Savanne. This initiative started on 31 July 2024 and will improve the commutation problems of both communities in the upcoming months.
This important project is valued at over $2.5 million and will improve accessibility and also generate economic revenue for local residents. This initiative was taken long back in the year 2015 when Tropical Storm Erika 2015 led to the displacement of most residents of Petite Savanne from their places. This disaster also caused the destruction of the road that linked the community to Delices.
After the destruction caused by Tropical Storm in 2015, various initiatives have been taken by the Dominican government to mend the road that links Delice and Petite Savanne. In the first phase, the Petite Savanne community in Bellevue Chopin was given first priority with the construction of 353 housing units. The construction was funded under the Citizenship by Investment Programme and completed in 2019.
However, the Government of Dominica delayed the construction of reconnecting Petite Savanne and Delices based on engineers’ advice. This was due to the unstable condition of the affected areas. The government further announced the beginning of construction of the bridge, keeping in mind the ongoing transportation problems in the areas and access caused by the damaged road.
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit and residents from both constituencies made an important site visit on 21 January 2023, where they had discussions with stakeholders to understand the project details.
This year, in 2024, Several initiatives have been undertaken with the goal of reconnecting the communities, including road clearing costing $2.6 million and construction of the Bagatelle Bridge at a cost of $2.5 million.
The project work started on 31 July 2024, and it is expected that project work on Bagatelle Bridge will finish soon and benefit the people from Petite Savanne and Delices communities in the long run.
A Facebook user from Dominica updated his official Facebook handle regarding the update of the Bagatelle Bridge project. He shared some site images where the construction work of the bridge is going smoothly, and the project is expected to be finished soon.
Netizens have reacted to this project update and have given their opinions in the comment section. Many internet users have shown their support for the Dominican government in improving road conditions. At the same time, some have shown disappointment for such a long wait of almost nine years.
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has thanked the citizens of Dominica for their patience and has given a statement saying, “We thank the people of Petite Savanne and Delices for their patience and seek their cooperation in our ongoing efforts to address this matter.”.
