Redesigned Caratal bridge causing business to flood, says Georgetown businessman

A businessman of Georgetown is claiming that while the reconstruction of the Caratal bridge is serving its purpose, the positioning of the bridge is destroying his livelihood.

Preferring not to give his name, the businessman said that in 2010 and again in 2013, the ground floor of his business was flooded out due to heavy rains and as a result, his hardware, dry goods and liquor business had to be closed.{{more}}

Apart from his business being destroyed, the Caratal bridge was also damaged during the December 2013 Christmas Eve trough system and reconstruction of the bridge was completed last year, to the tune of EC$2,999,752. 86.

During the opening of the bridge last year, Brent Bailey, the chief engineer in the Ministry of Transport and Works, said that they had encountered a number of challenges in executing the project and because the new bridge is higher than the previous one, special measures had to be taken to ensure proper drainage.

The businessman said that when the bridge was destroyed in 2013, he waited for the new bridge to be constructed, but after it was finished, the design of the bridge affected his business.

He noted that apart from the road being raised three feet, the position of the bridge means that when it rains, the water running off the bridge runs directly onto his property and floods the ground floor, making it impossible for him to do business there.

“When the bridge build I thought things would have been better, but it got worse. Nobody never discussed anything with me. They blocked me out for more than a year; I couldn’t do no operation,” said the desperate entrepreneur.

He said that because of the way the bridge was built, he cannot drive into his yard and the road is now about three feet above the entrance to the property.

He noted that apart from that, the heavy construction work that took place next to his property caused his building to crack, while termites are now a huge problem, as the tons of wood that came down during the flood were infested with termites.

“A lot of termites from wood end up in my place,” stressed the businessman who added that the matter was reported to, among others, director of the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) Howie Prince and chief engineer Brent Bailey, to no avail.

“I need some compensation, I need some help; the bridge was built by Government. A lot of people believe that everything nice and rosy with us out Georgetown. At the moment, my building crack up; the bridge can’t move. I have to step down to go down in my building now because they raise the road,” said the upset man, who revealed that his vehicles have to be parked at the side of the road.

“Something has to be done. It’s overbearing, I want it address because is real pressure we feeling out Georgetown.”

The businessman added that in his opinion, a lot of the flooding in his area was caused by the construction of a bus stop that was built on reclaimed river land.

He said that during the heavy rains, the bus stop diverted the water and debris into the road and onto his property.

“The water and wood was diverted into my property, destroying it because of the bus stop,” said the Georgetown resident.

A source from the Ministry and Transport and Works said that the Ministry is aware of the complaints and that discussions were held with the chief engineer in relation to finding solutions to some of the issues highlighted.