Rehabilitation works on Cavendish Bridge at Ville Noire, along Plaine Magnien – Mahebourg Road (A12), over an approximate length of 200 metres, have been completed.
A plaque was unveiled for the occasion by the Minister of National Infrastructure and Community Development, Mr Mahendranuth Sharma Hurreeram, on Saturday evening, during a ceremony in Mahebourg, in the presence of other personalities.
In his address, the Minister saluted the engineers of the Road Development Authority for having elaborated the renovation plan of Cavendish Bridge. He underlined that the project was carried out within budget and finished ahead of the time schedule. To the tune of over Rs 32 m, works, by Transinvest Construction Co Ltd, kicked off in August 2021.
According to Mr Hurreeram, infrastructure development in the region would continue. On that score, he reiterated Government’s commitment to improve the life of the population and invited the inhabitants of these localities to collaborate with Government for their benefit and that of their village.
It is recalled that Cavendish Bridge was inaugurated in 1911 to connect Mahebourg Village to Ville Noire over Rivière La Chaux. It was among the first bridges in Mauritius to make use of concrete construction, instead of being fully stoned. Over the years, the state of the bridge had degraded considerably and rehabilitation works were deemed critical for the safety of road users and to prevent further deterioration and possible collapse.
The scope of work thus consisted, among others, in the repair of the bridge expansion joint and of all steel elements; the fixing of steel bracings to support the U-Section beams; the treatment of all corroded reinforcement bars; the sealing of all cracks with an appropriate cement grout mixture; and the sand blasting of the whole bridge.
Moreover, the wooden planks fixed on the purlins, which served as footways on each side of the bridge, were superseded with treated timber boards which are locked by steel rails. The drainage outlets were also upgraded while the faulty luminaires were replaced.
