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1×24 hour inspection of heavy equipment at Bosjebrug


The Suriname Police Force (KPS) will exercise stricter controls at both ends of the Jules Wijdenbosch Bridge. This involves checking heavy equipment that uses the river crossing on a daily basis. The measure came into effect on Tuesday 28 December.

The Motor Surveillance Service (MSD) and the Commewijne police will be present 1X24 hours to supervise. Heavily loaded trucks will only be allowed during the lockdown, i.e. from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. A valid dispensation certificate will also have to be submitted to the police. The Covid-19 Management Team is ready to grant dispensation to the drivers.

Chief Inspector Rachel Deekman notes that traffic only gets busier around this time of year, hence the need for the measure. However, the authorities also understand that products have to be delivered on the other side of the bridge. The police, which are responsible for enforcement, will therefore act flexibly. However, this does not mean that truck drivers are allowed to cross the bridge.

Inspector Deekman cites as an example that when a supplier of bread has to go to the other side, the police will check whether the traffic intensity in the relevant direction of travel allows it. The police officer emphasizes that this degree of flexibility is explicitly related to the period of the year, when many deliveries take place.

She adds that it is not possible to specify a time in advance when suppliers can cross the bridge. Chief Inspector Deekman notes that the cross-river connection has a high traffic intensity throughout the day. For safety reasons, it was decided to allow heavy equipment that could pose a hazard during the night. This decision has also been communicated to the rest of the police force.

“Under heavy equipment we can place heavy vehicles, transport vehicles or trucks. But you also have equipment such as excavators and vehicles with large cranes,” explains Henk Wip, policy advisor at the Ministry of Public Works. Heavy equipment is a collective term for all heavy vehicles. “The focus here is not so much on a weight of 12 tons, but on the axle load. The 12 tons here refers to the axle load, but not to the load of the vehicle,” adds the OW official.

The aim, he said, is to ensure safety, especially after the most recent incident in which a heavily loaded truck whose brakes had failed rolled off the bridge and rammed into a number of other vehicles. One person was killed and several others injured in this accident. Wip therefore considers control of great importance. He calls on vehicle owners to have their documents in order, as the documents will be checked by the police.

Chief Inspector Deekman noted that safety is still a top priority. In the meantime, the working group that has to consider the traffic problems around the Wijdenbosch Bridge is still in conclave with interest groups. These will be informed as much as possible through consultation moments. “Their feelings will be taken into account to come up with appropriate measures so that we can all use the bridge in a safer way,” said the police officer. She says the checks will be carried out until other measures are taken.

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