Queen Elizabeth Bridge to be demolished

After 37 years, the old Queen Elizabeth II Bridge linking Tortola and Beef Island is coming down. The bridge was declared open with pomp and ceremony by Her Majesty the Queen during her first visit to the territory on February 23rd, 1966 and operated until last year when a new bridge was commissioned.

A $115,000 contract to demolish the bridge was signed between the government and Triple L Heavy Equipment and Sewerage Disposal Services Ltd. during a ceremony Wednesday afternoon. 

The contractor would be responsible for dismantling and disposal of the bridge and to leave the site, on completion, in a clean and satisfactory condition. The project is expected to last three weeks from the date of mobilization.

“As dear as Beef Island is to Tortola, at one time, the only way of getting there were two ways, either you swim it or you row across in a boat,” recalled Chief Minister Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal during the ceremony. He said when the government decided to build the airport at Beef Island, the method of getting across there was improved to a barge.

Chief Minister O’Neal recalled that when the UK firm got the contract to construct the road from East End to Road Town, from Road Town to Cane Garden Bay and from Road Town to West End, they also got the contract to build the bridge. He said representation was made then for the bridge to have a span between it to allow boats to pass through.

“The bridge has served its purpose,” the BVI leader stated. He pointed out that it was a one-lane bridge and people soon became restless when they had to wait for the traffic to clear before crossing. He recalled that for the 2001/02 tourist season, he wondered many times about the possibility of the bridge collapsing with a safari loaded with people. “But our prayers were answered and never did it happen and we are glad to see that the bridge
is now being taken down.”

Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Communications and Works Hon. Julian Fraser pointed out that it was his intention to have this bridge removed by December last year. However, he said for some reason, this was not done. “I believe this contractor Triple L should know what their true attraction was…their proposal,” he reported. He said the company called for the restoration of the bridge as a tourism attraction and “that caught the eye of Members of Executive Council”.

According to Hon. Fraser, ever since he took over the Ministry, he found himself
mired in one difficulty or the other in the East and one by one, he is trying to put
them to rest. He said the first was opening the new bridge, then there was the
airport project, the emergency action plan for the sewerage system and the alternate
route to Blackburne from the Queen Elizabeth Bridge through the Ridge Road.
“I wanted to say to you (Mr. Lettsome) that that 21 days, that three weeks, begins
today and I’m hoping that you don’t really need mobilization money because we don’t
have time for that,” said the Minister. He encouraged the contractor to get the
bridge down quickly.
On behalf of the company, Mr. Liston Lettsome pledged to carry out the project well
and make an effort to save the upper part of the bridge to be used as a tourist
attraction.
“We have two places where we’d really like to put it, one is in the Balsam Ghut area
and probably the next one at Josiah’s Bay,” Mr. Lettsome said. He said while the
entire structure cannot be used, he recalls memories of the bridge from his
childhood days and would want to see some of it preserved.