Portland bridge collapses during trucker’s ‘ill-advised’ attempt to cross

Craigmill, West Portland:

The Craigmill Bridge, rendered unsafe and ordered closed by the National Works Agency (NWA) six years ago, on Saturday suffered a partial collapse under the weight of a truck laden with stones.

Stephen Shaw, communication and customer services manager at the NWA, said yesterday that the bridge, located along the Buff Bay to White Hall main road in Portland, was not to be used by motorists due its deplorable state following years of wearing away.

In a release, Shaw noted that a detour road was constructed in the vicinity of the bridge, and motorists had been encouraged to use it as an alternative route to enter and leave the community. He pointed out that physical barriers had been erected at both entrances to the now collapsed structure, but that the impediments were routinely removed.

According to Shaw, it has been the intention of the NWA to replace the bridge and that the process to having this done has been under way. He noted that the bridge is one of six that the NWA has on its priority list for replacement. The list, he said, also includes the structure at Troy in Trelawny that is currently being built.

Detour road

Shaw added that the NWA intends to continuously maintain the detour road, which sometimes becomes impassable during flood rains.

In the meantime, Daryl Vaz, member of parliament for West Portland, the constituency in which the Craigmill Bridge is located, was also quick to point out that the structure was closed by the NWA for safety reasons, and that to have a truck laden with stones travelling on the bridge, following weeks of heavy rains, was not only a very dangerous decision, but ill-advised.

“The rapid deterioration of the bridge left no alternative than for the closure of the bridge. The public record and residents of surrounding communities are aware that I have been an unrelenting advocate for the repair of this bridge,” Vaz said.

He said procurement issues, along with a complicated tender process, has resulted in the lengthy delay in the replacement of the bridge.

“A detour was constructed in 2022 by the NWA to alleviate the inconvenience resulting from the disrepair of the bridge. Given the age and condition of the infrastructure, it becomes increasingly impassable and unsafe during inclement weather conditions.”

The temporary detour was constructed following an unsuccessful attempt to put the contract for the replacement of the bridge to tender in 2021. A high ford was created following the laying of culvert pipes in 2022 as part of extensive works done by the NWA.

“This alleviated flooding issues and made the detour which was constructed more reliable. This detour was completed at a cost of approximately $14 million. Efforts have since intensified to have the Craigmill Bridge replaced and resubmitted for tender bidding. Consultations were done earlier this year and the Public Investment Appraisal Branch is completing the final process for the award of the contract for the replacement of the bridge at an estimated cost of $95 million. When added to the cost of the repairs and patching work done in construction of the detour, over $120 million would have been committed and spent to the repair of the Craigmill Bridge since 2022,” he concluded.

Speaking with The Gleaner, a resident who gave his name as Burlington, said even though the bridge was still being used by pedestrian traffic, it was a dangerous practice. He added that, as unfortunate as the collapse was, it was probably also a blessing because, according to him, an elderly person might have been hurt or killed as a result of the poor state of the bridge.

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