Africa-Press – Mauritius. A site visit was organised, this morning, by the Ministry of National Infrastructure and Community Development and the Road Development Authority (RDA), at Chamarel and Souillac, to view progress of works regarding countermeasure works pertaining to slope failure at Souillac Bridge as well as Landslide/ Slope Stability Treatment along B104 Road (Baie du Cap – Chamarel – Case Noyale).
In Chamarel, the Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mr Alan Ganoo; the Minister of National Infrastructure and Community Development, Mr Mahendranuth Sharma Hurreeram; and the Parliamentary Private Secretary, Mr Nand Prakash Ramchurrun, were appraised of the status of work, which were expected to be completed end of August 2022.
Minister Ganoo recalled that due to the landslide and slope stability work at Chamarel, undertaken by Sinohydro Corporation (Mauritius) Ltd, part of the B104 Road was closed to traffic in both directions between Case Noyale and Chamarel Village since September 2021.
However, he insisted that this project was critical, and would generate long term benefits for both inhabitants and visiting tourists by providing a safe and easy access to the area and its well-known table d’hôtes and restaurants.
In that context, Mr Ganoo urged residents to be patient, pending the completion of works, given the complexity of the terrain namely the steep mountain cuttings on one side and deep ravines on the other, and bad weather conditions which had slowed down work progress.
For his part, the Minister of National Infrastructure and Community Development, Mr Mahendranuth Sharma Hurreeram, also dwelt on the complexity of the terrain and explained that the existing road pavement structure and underlying geotechnical support had deteriorated.
He thus highlighted the necessity not only to improve the road structure but also to stabilise the existing road cuttings and embankment. According to Minister Hurreeram, the project cost amounted to Rs 350 million and entailed a significant scope and extent of works.
These included: the widening of the narrow single carriageway with an average width of 5,8 metres to 10 metres; excavation in mountain slopes using specialised blasting techniques; construction of gabion retaining and of drainage structures; and installation of rock-nets and soil/rock nailing, among others.
Moreover, he pointed out that to preserve the environment, some 600 trees had been replanted. Countermeasure works to slope failure at Souillac Bridge
In Souillac, Minister Hurreeram and Parliamentary Private Secretary Ramchurrun noted the achievement of stabilisation works carried out by the RDA, to the tune of Rs 50 million.
The Minister was satisfied that every effort had been made to ensure the safety of road users and pre-empt any failure of the retaining wall in the future that would lead to any road blockage.
It is recalled that a part of the retaining wall after the Souillac Bridge on the right-hand side in the direction of Surinam collapsed on the Black River Savanne Coast Road in 2019.
The objective of the countermeasure works was to replace the tarpaulins on the collapsed section to prevent rocks and soil from falling on the road, and to execute rehabilitation, retrofitting, and strengthening of existing retaining structures, as well as stabilise approximately 250 metre stretch of the escarpment.
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