Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Port Services, and Transport, Hon. Philip J. Pierre; and Parliamentary Representative for Gros Islet, Minister for Commerce, Hon. Emma Hippolyte, will today officially open the newly-constructed Assou Canal bridge.

The project commenced in February 2015, providing a second option for motorists and pedestrians who live in the Assou Canal community. The other bridge serving the community has a long history of being flooded during heavy rainfall; as a consequence, the Ministry of Infrastructure improved the hydrologic capacity of the new bridge to be more resilient to natural hazards in an effort to facilitate vehicular and pedestrian traffic during such events.

The bridge is a single span reinforced concrete structure measuring 10.6 metres in length and 4.2 metres in width, with a 1.2 metre sidewalk and river training works. The bridge  was jointly funded by the Government of Saint Lucia and the Government of Turkey to the tune of approximately $718,000 while the river training works cost approximately $168,000.

The new bridge will be officially opened at a special ceremony hosted by the Parliamentary Representative Hon. Emma Hippolyte and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure, Port Services and Transport Hon. Philip J. Pierre.