Post Hurricane Causeway Repair Update
The Ministry of Works and Engineering has provided an on the status of The Causeway following Hurricane Igor.
Several sections of the traffic barrier walls were breached by wave action during the hurricane and their reconstruction has now been completed.
Underwater inspections by the Bermuda Police Service dive team, completed immediately after the hurricane, revealed a hole in the side of The Causeway. Further investigations by the Ministry’s Structural Engineers revealed an area of subsidence parallel to the barrier wall on the west bound lane of the roadway. This area is currently being excavated and it will be backfilled with a strong concrete mix to provide a solid and safe roadway.
The Ministry’s crews worked extended hours over the weekend and based on their progress, Government say they expect that normal two-way traffic can be restored late on Tuesday, September 28th.
The Ministry apologizes for the inconvenience to the public during this reconstruction period and would like to remind motorists to reduce their speed as the travel through this very narrow construction site.
The Causeway has been damaged multiple times by hurricanes throughout its 139-year history. Opened to traffic in 1871, it was wrecked by “The Great Storm” which ravaged Bermuda in September, 1880, rebuilt according to the original design provided by the Royal Engineers but devastated again by another hurricane in 1899. In 1995 it sustained damage when Hurricane Felix brushed the island.
When Hurricane Fabian hit the island in 2003, the causeway – an essential part of the island’s traffic infrastructure and the only land-link between the mainland and St. George’s – was severely damaged. Four people died and the island was cut off from the world for several days.
Look Just build additional walls alongside the causeway on both sides. The space in-between on both sides can be filled in and used as a pull-over or park sorta like the ones on south road except the length of the causeway. We could even name the park after a national hero or whatever. Put some nice palm trees alongside and some picnic benches. It’ll keep the water away from the road, tourists and locals alike will love it, and the worst thing that could happen during a storm is the loss of the palm trees. Whats better, you could even get rid of the hideous walls that presently block the scenery and view and put perhaps a sidewalk? pedalbike/jogging paths? C’mon anything but what’s there now.
Not gonna happen.
What makes it so difficult & take so long to build a type of bridge so commonly seen everywhere else in the civilized world in Bermuda. Fabian was 2003! So far this PLP Government has delivered nothing but talk & throne speach promises to replace the bridge.
Build it on piles. Build it so that the road is at least 15′ above the mean high water mark. This way there will be no need to close the bridge every time a storm comes along. There will be no more salt water car washes on a windy day. The sea will pass harmlessly under the bridge.
There is money to waste on Beyonce, useless tourism promotions in places we will never see a visitor from, new buses which are never used, money pit fast ferrys etc. etc. but a needed bridge is impossible to build.
Salty car wash? LOL What of the salty & windy showers for those on scooters! Very annoying to find the causeway closed with little or no notice when the wind picks up a bit. Sure it makes living down the east a little more irritating along with the swing bridge opening and closing but atleast that’s on a schedule and with Longbird out of commision, there’s only one to beat instead of two.
Bridge on piles connecting Kindley Feild to Blue Hole – not in my lifetime. At best they will reinforce the concrete and just deal with the repairs every 5 – 10 years.
It’s a simple exercise as I stated years ago. The only bussiness that would suffer would be the Gas Station at the bottom of Blue Hole Hill.
Build the damn bridge from Coney Island to near/where the round-a-bout is. Short distance. No coral etc will be affected as there is hardly any there now nor has been for years. Or you can really screw it up with a span too Ferry Reach and that would involve road widening and property purchases etc and that would make Ferry Road another Kindley Field road.
Or……just build a pontoon bridge from Coney Island and enjoy the bumpy ride yeeeehaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa