Commuters who use the Mackenzie/Wismar Bridge are calling on the authorities to extend the current schedule for opening which has created extensive traffic jams and congestion along Burnham Drive at Wismar.
The bridge, which links Wismar and Mackenzie and provides a vital link to and from the interior locations, closes from 9am to 3pm and from 5pm to 9pm on weekdays. However, residents told Stabroek News the schedule results in a traffic build-up on both shores. “It is ridiculous what occurs here at this bridge.
The authorities failed to take into consideration many things when they set this schedule. It is very important that they change this working hour strictly to night work or immediately put in place a pontoon or barge arrangement,” a resident said.
Remedial works, focusing on the bridge’s undercarriage, started in June 2008 with a budget of $114M. In order to facilitate the works, the bridge was closed to vehicular traffic for short periods of time. Technical Advisor to the Minister of Transport and Hydraulics Walter Willis said the initial works stretched over a period of time since work depended on the tide. Following the rehabilitation, it was discovered that the central span of the bridge was in an advanced state of deterioration and required urgent attention. As a result, work to address the problem started on October 12, 2009 at a cost of $40M.
When plans for repairs were initially announced, residents had welcomed them, saying they were timely. They were also pleased that the schedule of school children and workers had been considered. However, some had said they were concerned that the extended rehabilitation works would affect traffic to and from the interior. The rehabilitation exercise is expected to last for 21 weeks and would severely affect the bridge’s opening hours.
According to a public advisory issued by the Linmine Secretariat, the Linden Town Council and the Ministry of Public Works and Communication, the bridge would be closed to vehicular traffic on Mondays to Fridays to allow pedestrians to get from one shore to the other, hassle free. On Saturdays the bridge would be closed from 9am to 3pm.
Also, the maximum allowable speed for vehicular traffic while crossing the bridge would be five miles per hour.
However, motorists have complained that the ramp being used to span the area under repair has been causing extensive damage to vehicles, especially cars and on numerous occasions large vehicles crossing the ramp had gotten stuck on it, delaying traffic for hours. They also said while the 3pm opening was set to accommodate the passage of school children, careful consideration was not given to workers. “Most offices in Linden close at 5 O’clock and the bridge closes at five so I don’t see where they considered working people.
More than that there is the Watooka nursery and primary schools nearby the nursery school overs at 12:00pm now parents have to pay more than twice the original cost to get their kids home,” a person explained.
Residents said the current opening schedule puts undue pressure on parents who are now forced to pay a double fare to go to schools to collect their children, pay a fare to travel to the boat landings, pay another fare to cross with the ferry service then another fare to get to their homes. Previously, some parents had arrangements in place with buses and taxis to collect their children from school and take them home. Some residents were also concerned about children who cross the bridge using pedal cycles as they are often caught in heavy traffic and drivers rarely show consideration for them.
During the period of the opening of the bridge there is usually a mad rush by drivers, particularly businessmen, to transport their commodities from one shore to the other before it closes. According to residents drivers rarely show consideration to other road users, especially in the absence of traffic ranks. They claim too that “the bridge people does show favour for their friend and some of them does even demand bribes allow some drivers to pass before their time.” This often adds to the congestion along Burnham Drive at Wismar near boat landings and buses and taxis that ply the Mackenzie/Wismar route have relocated to Burnham Drive to transport passengers to various sections of Wismar. “After 5pm it’s madness on that road. There isn’t sufficient traffic patrol and the drivers, especially dem $100 taxis, does be so disorderly. Even the boat are overloading and rushing from one shore to the other and it is not till something major happens that deh gon review dis nonsense with this bridge schedule” a man said. Others opined that with the new set of repairs planned the chaos on the roadway is likely to escalate. “The traffic would be much heavier in a next week time and the authorities got to make some serious decisions. This whole thing is causing too much discomfort to residents.
If they mean well then let them show that they mean well and seriously review this schedule and come on the TV and tell people something,” another man posited. Residents have also suggested that the authorities consider putting a pontoon into service during the 21 weeks, or restrict the repairs to night time.
