A week after heavy rainfall caused a bridge in Cap-de-Ville, Point Fortin to collapse, the area's MP Kennedy Richards Jr said a Bailey bridge will be installed soon.
The bridge, at Chin Yeun Kee Trace, is used by over 20 households to get to the main road.
Residents had told Newsday it began collapsing in April 2020 when a large TT Electricity Commission (T&TEC) truck tried to carry a lightpole across the bridge but proved too heavy.
And during bad weather over the weekend, heavy rain made the bridge collapse even further and residents were worried.
In a press release on Tuesday, Richards said the bridge had "been in decay for the last 20 years.
"The banks of the river experienced an expansion from the floods. Additionally, the salt compound within the water had already eroded the material of the decaying bridge. These two factors resulted in an overnight collapse, virtually cutting away the thoroughfare for residents within the street."
He said he has spoken to Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Kazim Hosein and representatives from the Ministry of Works and Transport about it.
Richards said engineers from both ministries visited the site on Monday "to examine the situation.
"In short order, a Bailey bridge would be inserted to provide a temporary relief to the residents until a permanent structure is designed and constructed."
In addition to the collapsed bridge, the heavy rainfall also caused a landslip in Chatham.
On this, Richards said the main cause of that was a ruptured pipeline "that would have corroded the previously repaired landslip in the same area.
"This landslip has been tested by the Ministry of Works and Transport alongside the other reported cases of minor and major landslides on the main thoroughfare from Chatham to Cedros. However, the magnitude of the disaster of the landslide at present was propagated by the inevitable flooding."
He said Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan is aware of the situation and has communicated this to the Highways Division.
"...Who has, as of now, secured the location and undergoing a series of soil tests.
"Upon which, a design formulation would be initiated which would then lead to construction and repair of the affected area."
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