The Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Housing and Land Use Planning, Minister of Tourism, Mr Louis Steven Obeegadoo, effected a site visit, today, at Pont Atlee located along La Brasserie Road. The aim was to take stock of progress of works pertaining to the new bridge to be built, to the tune of Rs 11 million.
The Minister of National Infrastructure and Community Development, Mr Mahendranuth Sharma Hurreeram, the Deputy Chief Government Whip, Mr Soobeersingh Dhunoo, and other personalities were also present at the site visit.
In a statement, DPM Obeegadoo recalled that the road where the bridge is situated is the main access road to go to La Brasserie from Curepipe and as such is used by a number of vehicles and pedestrians on a daily basis. He highlighted that, following the last flood, authorities have realised that there is an urgent need to replace the bridge, which was built several years ago. According to him, there were no renovation works undertaken on the bridge for at least 25 years.
The DPM underlined that the relevant authorities started preparatory works some months back and, with the support of the Ministry of National Infrastructure and Community Development, renovation works kicked off, following procurement procedures. He added that the new bridge will ensure that there is an improvement in the flow of road traffic along La Brasserie Road.
For his part, Minister Hurreeram gave details about the new bridge to be built. He indicated that the existing bridge dates back from the colonial era and consisted of three narrow spans of 60 centimetres each, which were not adequate during flooding. He pointed out that the new bridge will have a span of four metres and a height of about 1,5 metres which will allow a free flow of water. This, he indicated, will prevent nearby houses from being flooded despite adverse weather conditions.
Minister Hurreeram also underscored that the new bridge is expected to be completed by the end of 2021. He added that the road will also be widened from 5,5 metres to six metres so as to ease traffic.
As for the Deputy Chief Government Whip, he observed that the new bridge will greatly improve movement of vehicles and pedestrians in this area. He remarked that some 20 houses in the vicinity used to be flooded when there were heavy rainfall and that this project will contribute to solve this problem. Moreover, he stated that a sensitisation campaign will have to be organised so that inhabitants of the region do not pollute the river.