Construction of the new Piaye bridge is one of many civil works activities facilitated by the Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project (DVRP). The bridge was severely damaged by multiple storms as far back as the 1990s. Most recently the 2013 Christmas Eve Trough.
Through an extensive bidding process, O.B. Sadoo Engineering was the contractor selected to undertake the project. The new bridge seeks to be more climate resilient.
O.B. Sadoo’s Construction Manager, Marvin Williams asserts, “The project is the construction of a composite bridge, which is a steel frame with a concrete deck. The bridge is a 25-metre-long double lane bridge which is supposed to replace the single land bailey bridge which has been existing in that location for a while. The new bridge is approximately 1.6 metres higher than the original bridge was and that is to provide greater protection from rising water levels which is what affected the last bridge. This bridge is expected to be much more resilient to the environmental impact than the original bridge was.”
DVRP also sought the services of AC & A for the purposes of project management. AC & A are an Argentinian company specializing in design and implementation of integrated transport systems. The company is known for the completion of 200 projects in over 30 countries worldwide.
Team Leader/Construction Manager at AC & A, Guillermo Lubos reiterates the improvements of the bridge. “It’s a new design that has a big expand, the oldest and highest too, the construction is reinforced concrete in the backwards and the windwards, the super structure is a mix of steel structure and reinforced concrete,” Lubos indicates.
Williams indicates the entire project will not just include the completion of a new bridge but environmental rehabilitation.
“We’ve done some of the riprap which you may have noticed that is to be extended to ensure proper flow within the river, and also the replanting of the area is also part of the project in that (we’re) not just taking the trees that we took out, (we’re) looking to transform the entire area into a more leisurely, environmental sort of setting,” reveals Williams.
Designed to accommodate extensive flooding and withstand extreme weather events, the structure will include two lanes and a sidewalk.