South River Bridge to be reconstructed

The Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has awarded a contract to OB Sadoo Engineering Services Ltd of St Lucia for the construction of a new bridge over the South River at Middle Street, Kingstown.

The construction of the South River Bridge will be executed under Component 1 of the World Bank funded Regional Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project, which is implementing interventions aimed at reducing the risks of flooding to the public.

The contract, worth some XCD 1.7 million, represents the lowest qualifying tender received.

The existing structure is an old stone arch bridge, whose structural integrity has been compromised by age, floods, increased vehicular weight, and the impact of roots from a nearby tree. The relatively small opening of the old bridge has contributed significantly in recent times to flooding in the area.

The works will include the demolition of the old bridge, the construction of abutments to accommodate future channel widening, and the erection of a reinforced concrete slab. The new bridge will be approximately 18 inches higher and has been designed to withstand expected increases in flooding due to climate change events.

The replacement of the bridge forms part of Government’s efforts to improve national resilience to natural hazards and longer-term impacts resulting from climate change. The works will commence substantively on January 9, 2017 and is expected to last six months.