The long-awaited Anse La Raye Bridge has reached one of its most critical stages, as engineers begin installing fourteen massive 20-ton concrete girders that are the main beams that will support the bridge deck.
Officials describe the stage as both technically demanding and symbolic of major progress, with the project now 65 percent complete and on track for completion by late December.
According to Project Coordinator Amos Hippolyte of the Millennium Highway and West Coast Road Rehabilitation Project, the team has overcome several early challenges to reach this milestone.
“We have had challenges, have had delays due to a shortage of labour, particularly skilled labor, and also logistics in terms of imports,” Hippolyte explained.
“But we’re at a point where we have overcome this hurdle, and the project is about to enter into a critical phase, and that is the deck work, the construction of the bridge deck, which involves the installation of some critical members we call girders. These are the main beams that support the deck.”
The installation process requires heavy machinery, precise coordination, and careful traffic management, as the girders are transported and positioned. Justin-Anne Aurelien, Communications, Health and Safety Officer for O.B. Sadoo Engineering, assured motorists that there will be no full road closures during this stage.
“The road will not be closed at no time whatsoever. There may be delays but the road will not be closed,” Aurelien said.
“As the crane comes in and the loader moves back and forth with the girders, there will be traffic delays through the town. We will allow whatever traffic is already there to come through, then we will stop to let those girders come through, have them park in a designated area, let whatever traffic that has been stopped go through, and then we’ll begin our process.”
Project Manager Marvin Williams noted that moving such large equipment through the narrow Anse La Raye village roads requires extensive preparation and coordination with utility providers.
“Moving something that large along the road requires some sort of supervision, to say the least,” Williams explained.
“We have Lucelec on board. They have agreed to go ahead and ensure that there are lines that will be obstructed. We’ve done a survey within Anse La Raye myself. That is the greatest area of concern. The lines all along the public road look like they’re high enough. Within the village is where you might have the most issues, and so far, it looks like we may have just a few lines that may actually impact the operation.”
Once completed, the new two-lane Anse La Raye Bridge will improve traffic flow and safety for residents and commuters along the west coast, replacing the old single-lane structure that has long struggled to meet modern demands.