Heavy rain, which has been falling from Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, has once again affected the bypass in the Macoucherie River on the west coast.
Motorists were advised to proceed with extreme caution while traveling through the area and while using the Old Macoucherie Bridge as an alternative means of crossing the river.
Reports reaching DNO indicate that the traffic was slow because the bridge is only able to accommodate one-way traffic.
The original bridge at Macoucherie was washed away during Tropical Storm Erika in 2015. It was replaced by a Bailey bridge which collapsed in March 2017. In a press release that same month, the Ministry of Public Works said it was working “feverishly” to install a new permanent Macoucherie Bridge.
A temporary bypass which was constructed in the area was itself compromised in May 2018 and motorists were then advised to utilize the old Macoucherie Estate Bridge. Another bypass was subsequently built.
According to the 6:00 am weather advisory from the Dominica Meteorological Service, a tropical wave is expected to result in an increase in cloudiness, some scattered showers and possible isolated thunderstorms across the area today and into tonight.
The Met Office has advised that people in areas prone to flooding, landslides and falling rocks should exercise caution.
…but according to Tonge and Piper Dominica is open for business. If anything should happen to a tourist whilst visiting, these two clowns should be held accountable. Dominica has not been ready or safe for tourists since Erica and that’s a fact. And that’s the true reason Ross University left.
This is what Skerrit calls Progress! The questions is: is it that magical climate resilient progress perhaps? Think about it, if you don’t do any repairs, nothing can be destroyed. So the island we soon be climate resitent!??
This kind of stagnant behavior should not be happening in Dominica in 2018. How can you tell me you not building a bridge for daily life on your island for your people. What’s the hold up may I ask? The Roseau bridge was a luxury bridge this bridge is a necessary bridge.
No wonder Ross left Dominica. Two years after this bridge became compromised, there was no secure bridge built, leaving any students caught on the south side with a risky option to get home. It also took years before the York Valley bridge, key to accessing some fertile agricultural lands, was rebuilt. No wonder Ross had no faith in the government providing proper air access and health facilities to accommodate its students, leaving them with no option but to leave Dominica.
This is deplorable and a crying shame. After all the jollys overseas riding camels and eating the best meals, the North and the South of the island has not been reconnected donkey years later. Sufficed to say, this Labor Government continues to lie to Dominicans about a new airport. If you can’t reconstruct a simple bridge, how on earth will you build and maintain this airport?
It’s amazing how some people can see all what is not right but can’t see anything good happening in dominica. But then again is the same few people that keep looking for all what is not right. There is a saying u can do good for a man 99 days and that one day u couldn’t help you are labelled bad.
.
The old stone estate bridge at Macoucherie deserves an award, or at a minimum a commemorative plaque, for being the lifeline between Portsmouth and Roseau in weather. Hopefully before it collapses from overuse since Erika. The main bridge needs rebuilding as a priority. How can this possibly not have been fixed already? Just do it!
When will this come to an end 3 years later and still the same story
That bridge belongs to shillingford estate its ashame for the government to talk about how he is taking care of the nation really PM stop giving hand out and fix the country all you do is encourage laziness just as you are lazy skerrit and his lazy graffy must go da need a change 18 years it’s over due
This is something to hopefully help jerk the sleeping Dominicans..how can 3 years after a major disaster like Erika, not one Bridge has been built on the West Coast. If the one-side Layou bridge collapses??
What is wrong with our country people?
It’s not just the Government, it’s also the people that are very passive and accepting of everything. People wake up!!..Skerrit can find time to change all laws to bring in ppl to vote but he can’t find time to seriously address the failing infrastructure in the country. The Hospitals, The Fire Stations, The Ports, The Roads, The Bridges…No real Jobs, Farmers Crying, Business Men crying..Dominicans take charge of your affairs!!
I’m not a pessimist, I’m a realist. This 18 year old administration has sunk the country into such a deep hole that it will take decades and a herculean effort to get out. Dominica needs the effort of all its citizens and legal residents to set it afloat. The government, working with all opposition parties is not an option, it is imperative that this be done to rescue the country from catastrophic collapse. No one man, Skerrit, Linton nor Vital can do this alone. It needs unity of ideas, efforts and purpose to achieve prosperity and success. Stubbornly adhering to the present form of governance offered by the Skerrit-led administration can only lead to disastrous consequences. What is it that could motivate people to vote for poverty, joblessness, decay, misery, tribalism and gross incompetence? I’m simply baffled.
Well said. The mindset of the people needs to change as well because they’re either playing defense of the bad gov’t or attacking for the opposition, which itself hasn’t outlined how it will move the country out of the hole and towards prosperity.
Since Erica, no real attempt to place a proper bridge has been made here,….WHY, though?
Labour ka twavay….hahahaha
Be quiet Labor ca twavey ????
Since ERika the vibes like that…not even Maria. It good so for Dominicans who keep supporting this government
One more example of Mr. Skerrit’s boastful significant progresses? That bridge has been in a precarious state for over three years now, since tropical storm Erica, and is a vital link between our capital and Roseau. It must have played some role in Ross’ decision to leave our country.
And we wonder why Ross left.
Would Ross risk the lives of their students to get to the old hospital in Roseau.
Things are getting worst… like we back in the 1920s
I am just broken for our country!
Stay Safe, everbody, that too shall pass. Continue to give thanks and praises for every little thing.
…. yet 18 million dollars was instead spent on a bridge in a Roseau. Labooouurrrrrr……
I hope those jokers in government realize that if that old stone bridge at Machoucherie gives way, then north-south access is seriously compromised.
Something has got to be wrong with Dominicans. I don’t know if it’s because too much bush and forest grows haphazardly all over Dominica so people have a kind of backwardness and lack of order in their thought processes that allows Skerrit & Co reign over them.
Look a docile set of people boy.
…smh…….
What … stranded. It is known by all users of the road by now…it rains, you climb old faithful. You are stranded if there is no other way out but there is. Stop being do damn dramatic for nothing.
To Skerrit: Then tomorrow you will go on the radio and tell people how far we have come. This is THE major roadway connecting the two largest population centres in the country. Yet after 3 years a replacement bridges has not been built.
These are the same guys who talked about starting an airport in 2019, yet they cannot build basic infrastructure to get people to travel from Roseau to Portsmouth. And you have these idiot supporters who cannot see how incompetent that administration is.
But since November 2015 Skerrit told us he got a gift from the government of China to rebuild those west coast bridges and, to date, FOUR YEARS later we have not seen any attepts to build at least one bridge. Where is our Christmas gift Skerrit? Did it get lost in the mail
https://dominicanewsonline.com/news/homepage/news/general/china-promises-to-repair-west-coast-road-to-assist-in-relocation-after-erika/
http://news.gov.dm/index.php/news/4146-dominica-china-sign-us-21m-agreement-for-rehabilitation-of-the-west-coast-road
LIES, LIES, LIES and more lies. that’s all we getting from Roosevelt Skerrit while our country keeps perishing in a dark hole of lies.
Not just in Dominica
You should hear the promises the Chinese made in the Bahamas
and they bankrupted people there
Those Chinese scam islanders to dump their products
Is this part of the significant progress that Skerrit said had been made since after Maria? Dominicans wake up and kick out Skerrit
Sakway toner, how long will it take to construct a climate resilient bridge over this gloried stream we call a river? What are we waiting for, divine intervention or another foreign-aid handout.
So is not the farmers of Salisbury that blocked the road or bridge, right? Now yesterday was the first anniversary of Maria where Skerrit told us we have made SIGNIFICANT progress since Maria. Well, mother nature heard him and gave us a timely reminder. But guys this bridge along with two others were destroyed since 2015, after ERIKA and to date, not a damn thing has been done. But here is my biggest concern people: What if somebody had a very serious life issue and was on an ambulance en route to the PMH and they got stock? What if we had an accident involving tourists and some had to be rushed to the hospital? But Skerrit working and Skerrit says we have made significant progress since Maria, let alone since Erika but mother nature seems to disagree with him and showed up
wasn’t this bridge destroyed since TD Erika? If so why hasn’t this key bridge given top priority for repair.