‘No one cares for rural people’

WESTERN BUREAU:

The feeling that they are in a world all by themselves, with no one caring about their well-being, is common among the residents of Woodsville in deep-rural Hanover, faced with the harsh realities of daily community life.

Apart from bad road conditions, some sections of which are completely devoid of asphalt and overgrown with thick shrubs, their latest dilemma is last year’s collapse of the main Woodsville bridge.

The bridge, which spans the Cabarita River, is a major link between Woodsville and Westmoreland, the nearest economic and commercial centre, as well as other sections of Hanover.

According to the National Works Agency (NWA), it may be up to four years before it can be replaced. But the residents say they can’t wait that long and are urging the relevant authorities to make erecting a new bridge a top priority.

The bridge first began to show major signs of structural compromise in April 2022, following a bout of heavy rain in the area. It eventually collapsed in April 2023.

For two weeks, life came to a standstill in the community, the residents said, so they had no choice but to erect a makeshift bridge.

“Without the bridge, we are virtually crippled. We thought about how we would continue on with our daily life routine, how working people are going to get to and from work, how the farmers are going to get their crops to market, how the sick will reach doctor or hospital, how needed goods and services are going to get into the community, and our only conclusion was that we had to get that bridge back up,” one resident told The Sunday Gleaner on a recent visit to the community.

“There are several children in Woodsville who attend schools in Savanna-la-Mar and other Westmoreland communities, and some attending schools in Lucea, Hanover, or even Montego Bay in St James.”

He stressed, “No one cares about us. No one cares about us rural people.”

30 BRIDGES ON THE LIST

Following the collapse, the NWA and the Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC) argued over whose responsibility it was to replace the structure. Both agencies ordered that section of the roadway closed, but the residents constructed a wooden bridge across the river to resume their daily routines.

The tourist attraction, Mayfield Falls, is in proximity to Woodsville, and tourists, visitors and touring groups venture across the makeshift wooden bridge daily to get to the falls.

“The draft design for the Woodsville bridge is complete, and we are looking to issue same for pricing by the end of 2024,” Stephen Shaw, the NWA’s communications manager, told The Sunday Gleaner last week.

“The schedule from commencement of procurement to award is about eight months. Funding must, however, be secured prior to any procurement.”

He noted that the NWA currently has a programme for 30 bridges to be constructed across the island at an estimated cost of $4 billion.

“Eight structures have been put on the priority list at a cost of $1.3 billion, and that list does not include Woodsville, as others were ahead with procurement already on the way,” he pointed out.

‘NO IDEA WHAT IS TAKING PLACE’

“We have no idea what is taking place,” president of the Woodsville Community Development Committee (CDC), Sasha-gay Frazer, told The Sunday Gleaner.

“Outside of the fact that I am aware that the soil testing was done in the area several months ago, I am the CDC president, and neither I nor anyone else in the community have heard anything else with regard to what happens after that.”

She continued, “I remember asking for them to keep us in the know, keep us in the loop, so that we can have an idea of what is happening, because when you leave us out, like what is happening now, it only leaves us to assume that no one is paying any attention to our problems.”

She explained that the alternative route suggested by the NWA is impractical, hence why the residents will continue to use the makeshift wooden bridge to go about their daily lives until a proper one is erected. She said the residents are aware of the risk, but they believe it is a necessary risk to take for their survival.

Frazer suggested that, based on the impact on the tourism industry, the relevant authorities should seek support from the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) to speed up the process of replacing the bridge or providing a temporary structure.

“Even while they are not paying us any attention, I bet you if something should happen to a tourist [while using the wooden bridge], we would get their attention,” she stated.

BRIDGE SHOULD REMAIN CLOSED

Arguing against the use of the makeshift thoroughfare, NWA’s communication manager stressed that the Woodsville bridge was ordered closed after the collapse and should remain closed.

Shaw also noted that while his agency was not opposed to holding consultations with the residents of the area to update them on the replacement progress, the HMC was aware of the plans.

“We are always prepared to meet with residents; however, any meeting must be in the context of us having new information to update the persons as to where we are with a new structure,” Shaw said.

“The road (leading to and from the collapsed bridge) is one for the municipal corporation and we would also need their input in any discourse with the residents. I am sure we will, before too long, have such an engagement, at a minimum, with community representatives.”

‘A NATIONAL DISGRACE’

However, describing the situation in Woodsville as “a national disgrace”, Mayor of Lucea and chairman of the HMC, Sheridan Samuels, told The Sunday Gleaner that the council was in the dark just as much as the residents as to the plans to replace the bridge.

“In terms of the bridge, the previous HMC administration, along with the Social Development Commission (SDC), held a meeting with the community and we had a discussion, giving them (the community members) a timeline we received from the NWA then,” Samuels stated.

“That timeline has expired now; however, we have realised that some new announcements have been made by the Government as it relates to monies allotted since the last Budget presentation. We have been trying to meet with the NWA since, but we are having severe difficulty in getting the relevant information.”

Calling on the relevant authorities to recognise the graveness of the situation and prioritise replacing the Woodsville bridge, Samuels said, “It is really a national disgrace to know that people have to go and build their own bridge.”

editorial@gleanerjm.com