New bridge for Penang Mill ‘by April’
Close to 2000 people from settlements near the Penang Mill in Rakiraki will have a quicker access to town next year with the construction of a new bridge.
The present bridge, next to the Penang Mill, has been closed to traffic for some time now because of the weakness in some of its structures. Minister for Local Government, Environment, Housing, Infrastructure and Transport Parveen Bala, on Wednesday, announced the new bridge would be in place by the end of April 2017. Mr Bala said the new FSC bridge contract has been awarded to Fulton Hogan. The bridge has been the main crossing point for residents of FSC, Colasi and nearby areas to enter town by vehicles.
Residents in these areas presently use the back road, if travelling by vehicle, near Penang Mill that comes out at Rakiraki Village and on to the Kings Highway.
Mr Bala said the piles for the bridge have already been ordered.
“It is a bit of relief to the people of Rakiraki in terms of this new bridge being built,” he said. “I know there have been a lot of issues in regards to this bridge, but definitely, they will have a new bridge by next year as construction will begin early in the New Year.” Mr Bala said there had been some previous studies carried out on the building of a new bridge, but the fact that the matter is if the study was carried out in the past, things were not implemented. Edited by Jonathan Bryce