Guyana: The $100M Kumaka-San Jose Bridge in Guyana has been facing the issue of the sinking at the entrance site, raising concerns among the citizens about their safety. It was reported that the bridge has shown signs of sinking, questioning the integrity of the structures.
The reports also suggested that the bridge, which has completed four and a half years of its construction, has become the topic of worries among the citizens who use it on a daily basis. The entrance to the bridge is rapidly sinking and other parts are also in danger of getting collapsed.
Prime Minister of Guyana– Mark Phillips inspected the bridge and visited the site in region 1 as government prepares to address the situation. The new issue of the fear of sinking has been raising concerns and questioning the promises made by the government during its construction.
Notably, the project of the construction of the bridge was proposed before 2020 and the completion was done in January 2020. In the same month, the bridge became operational for the residents and built at a cost of approximately $110 million.
It was constructed by then Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson and the APNU/AFC government. However, the promise was made during its construction that the bridge would last for the next forty years or even longer.
However, it has not even completed five years that the issue of the sinking has created trouble for the people of Region 1. They have been restricted from using the bridge on a regular basis due to the issue in the entrance.
Even Minister Patterson during a site inspection of works on the bridge in March 2019 had expressed his satisfaction with the quality of work done on the bridge to date, “…This is a solid bridge that will last for about 40 years or even longer… a perfect example of what we should do for bridges for these communities.”
The citizens have complained about their security issues over the bridge and added that the promises have not been fulfilled by the government.
