FREEPORT, Grand Bahama, February 9, 2023 — The Grand Bahama Port Authority, Limited (GBPA) is aware of residents’ concerns regarding the safety of the bridge at the Fishing Hole Road Causeway and over the last few months has engaged with the Government of The Bahamas’ Ministry of Works and Utilities (MOW) to investigate the issue, GBPA Deputy Director and City Manager Troy McIntosh said in a statement released today.
“Concerns have been expressed regarding the safety of the Causeway, specifically about the portions of concrete surface within the structure. The Ministry of Works & Utilities has done an assessment of the same with the view of determining the necessary corrective actions that will be taken to remedy the situation,” the statement said.
It added: “While awaiting MOW to conclude their investigation and begin remedial works, in early December 2022, GBPA began preparation exercises to close the bridge at a cost of $20,000 and spent an additional $5,000 to grade the road to provide an alternative route to safeguard motorists.
“All stakeholders were advised that the above temporary measure can easily deteriorate due to unfavorable weather conditions, thus the importance of The Ministry of Works engaging a contractor to begin the remedial works is critical. The Government is aware of our concern, and we will continue to liaise with them with respect to when such work will commence. In the interim, we are cognizant of the concerns of the motoring public and will once again expend resources for additional grading of the Service Road that is temporarily being used during the Fishing Hole Road Causeway’s closure.”
