the pedestrian bridge used by the inhabitants of St Pierre Centre and Cité Myosotis to go to the St Pierre R…
(No. B/79) Mr P. Venkatasami (Third Member for Quartier Militaire & Moka) asked the Minister of National Infrastructure whether, in regard to the pedestrian bridge used by the inhabitants of St Pierre Centre and Cité Myosotis to go to the St Pierre Roman Catholic Aided School and which was damaged during the passage of cyclone Belal in January 2024, he will state – (a) where matters stand as to the reconstruction thereof, indicating the reason for the delay therefor, and (b) if a risk assessment has been carried out whereby pedestrians in particular, children who have to cross the river without any security protection to attend school.
Madam Speaker, I am informed that Cité Myosotis is cut off from St Pierre Centre and St Pierre RCA School by River Profonde. At present, in order to get access to the school and other facilities in the village, the inhabitants need to travel around 1 km through an existing bridge, as the pedestrian bridge being referred to in the question has been damaged since 2017. The reconstruction of same was included in NDU’s list of projects for the financial year 2017-2018. With regard to part (a) of the question, following completion of design and geotechnical investigation, a bidding exercise was carried out by the NDU in November 2023
76 for the appointment of a contractor for the reconstruction of the footbridge at Cité Myosotis, Saint-Pierre. Following evaluation of bids received, the exercise was cancelled, as the amount quoted by the lowest evaluated responsive bidder was substantially higher than the cost estimated by 33%. Subsequently, the cost estimate was reviewed, and a second bidding exercise was undertaken by the NDU in July 2024. Again, the amount quoted by the lowest evaluated responsive bidder was higher than the cost estimate by 38%. The exercise had to be cancelled once again. Madam Speaker, I am further informed that in January 2024, with the passage of Cyclone Belal, the pedestrian bridge has been almost demolished, causing more hardship to the inhabitants. The new bridge to be constructed will be 27 metres long, having a width of 2 metres, and will be raised to a height of 4.5 metres from the riverbed. In view of the rise of the cost of materials and the volatility of the market, the cost estimate of the project is being reviewed anew, following which financial clearance will be sought prior to the launching of bids. Madam Speaker, as regards part (b) of the question, I am informed that no risk assessment has been carried out by my Ministry. In fact, the pedestrian bridge is damaged to the extent that it cannot be used to cross the river. Nevertheless, I have already requested my colleague, the Minister of Local Government, to inform the District Council of Moka to ensure that the public has no access to the damaged bridge. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, hon. Minister. Hon. Second Member for Grand’ Baie and Poudre d’Or! MELLE JEANNE, MADAME AZOR, MELVILLE & POUDRE D’OR VILLAGE – IRREGULAR TRANSPORT SERVICES – MEASURES