Sandy Ground Bridge: professionals stranded and left without a response
As the hurricane season draws to a close and boats prepare to leave the shipyards for the tourist season, the Sandy Ground Bridge remains hopelessly out of action. Fed up with a situation that has persisted for nearly three months, the boating industry has rallied on Thursday morning to highlight the logistical and economic consequences of this closure.
Since 11 August, the Sandy Ground Bridge has not been opening, forcing boats to take a detour via the Dutch side, with all the administrative procedures and charges that this entails.
A technical team visited the site several weeks after the breakdown to carry out tests. A meeting was then scheduled for 15 October, following which a diagnosis and a programme of works were to be communicated. But since then, there has been radio silence. The Blue Economy Department, whose staff are reported to have exercised their right to withdraw from work due to the unsanitary conditions of the premises, has not responded either. The Collectivité’s second vice-president has also been alerted, and a letter has been sent to the director of the CCISM, who in turn has passed the information on to the Collectivité. To no avail, according to representatives from Métimer, who still have no clarity on when the bridge will be back in service.
Boats stranded in the lagoon
The situation is becoming particularly worrying for shipyards, where many boats from Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy were sheltered during the hurricane season. They now need to be brought out, but the detour via the Dutch side is making operations considerably more difficult. Apart from the extra time involved, the passage is particularly tricky for deep-draught monohulls, as the channel is not marked. Added
to this are the opening hours of the bridges on the Dutch side. To leave the lagoon, boats must take the Causeway at 10.00, then the Simpson Bay Bridge at 10.30. In the afternoon, the opening times at 4.00 pm for Simpson Bay and 4.30 pm for the Causeway therefore only allow entry, not exit.
The Sandy Ground Bridge is vital for maritime activity; not only for shipyards but also for technical operations within the lagoon. Despite the warnings, no repair date has been announced. The fault itself has still not been clearly identified, although the main engine may be to blame. On Thursday morning, maritime professionals unfurled banners and black flags on the Sandy Ground Bridge and at the Marina Royale to alert the authorities.
During this protest, Jules Charville stopped to speak with them and take note of their grievances. He indicated that he intended to include the matter under ‘other business’ at the next Territorial Council meeting on 13 November and encouraged them to form a delegation to outline their difficulties.
In the meantime, the professionals remain without a response and the tourist season is fast approaching.
