The under-construction third bridge over the Orinoco River, June 18, 2024. Photo: X/@ViceVenezuela.
The President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, announced the resumption of the construction of the third bridge over the Orinoco River. He made this announcement on Monday, June 17, at an event in Bolívar state. The under-construction bridge is located in Caicara del Orinoco, further to the west than the two existing bridges (the Angostura bridge in Ciudad Bolívar, and the Orinoquia bridge in Puerto Ordaz), and will connect the states of Bolívar and Amazonas with Guárico.
President Maduro stated that from a legal and judicial point of view, it was necessary to end all ties with the Brazilian construction company that had the responsibility of building the bridge, the infamous Odebrecht, which “fell into a crisis, collapsed, and abandoned all its works in Venezuela. They blew it up!”
“It is not my purpose to give my opinion, although I have some, about what happened with Odebrecht,” he added. “But the truth is that it abandoned without notice all the works for which it was contracted and had been provided advance payments. Odebrecht has a gigantic debt with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela!”
President Maduro further added that the Venezuelan government has taken the necessary legal steps to resume the works, and is buying the required materials, something that is immensely difficult for Venezuela due to the US blockade. “It has taken an unimaginable amount of work, but we are achieving it in phases,” he remarked.
The bridge spans 11 kilometers, connecting Guárico and Bolívar states, and includes 29 kilometers of roads. Currently about 60% of the work has been completed, with 100% construction of the pilings in the Orinoco River, which constitutes one of the most difficult parts of the work. Similarly, 2.2 km of modules through which the railway track and roads will go are 100% complete, and the remaining work is under evaluation.
July 7 & 14 Webinars: ‘Venezuela Chooses: What is at Stake in the Coming Elections?’
1×10 good government program
The president also announced the reconstruction of the Guaiparo pediatric hospital in San Félix, Bolívar state, as part of the 1×10 good government program, as well as the recovery of the Raúl Leonis de San Félix Hospital, and the rehabilitation of the Dr. Arnaldo González Hospital and Comprehensive Healthcare Center in Caicara del Orinoco.
President Maduro supervised the rehabilitation work of the Ruíz y Páez University Hospital in Ciudad Bolívar, and approved the construction of the Manuel Piar boulevard in San Félix that will replace the old boardwalk.
He further announced the comprehensive rehabilitation of all the facilities of the Universidad de Oriente (UDO), Ciudad Bolívar campus.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SC
