Delegates from the EU and the World Bank Group paid a visit to Piaye Bridge 

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Reconstruction of The Piaye Bridge is one of the major activities under the Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project (DVRP).

The DVRP is a world bank funded initiative aimed at reducing Saint Lucia’s vulnerability to climate change and extreme weather hazards.

Rehabilitation of the bridge is facilitated with the aid of its European Union (EU) funding envelope.

Delegates from the EU and the World Bank Group paid a visit to the construction site on Tuesday, February 28, 2023. This visit formed part of a week-long trip to Saint Lucia for the organisations.

The two organisations collaborated with the government of Saint Lucia on another major infrastructural activity under the DVRP, namely, the Venus/Anse La Raye road rehabilitation project. That site was visited by the delegation the day prior.

Historically the bridge has been vulnerable to the effects of major storms. Significant damage to the bridge caused by flooding occurred during the 1994 Tropical Storm Debbie and the 2013 Christmas Eve Trough.

The construct will be that of a composite bridge, which is a steel frame with a concrete deck.

It will be a 25-metre-long double lane structure with a sidewalk designed to accommodate an extreme flood event of similar magnitude to the 2013 Christmas Eve Trough that washed away the old Bridge at Piaye.

The Piaye Bridge will also be 1.6 metres higher than the original bridge to provide greater protection from rising water levels.

The services of Argentinian company AC & A were procured for the purpose of project management. The company specialises in design and implementation of integrated transport systems.

O.B. Sadoo Engineering performs the role of contractor on the Piaye Bridge construction.