Woodsville residents resort to use of unsafe bridge
Published:Thursday | July 21, 2022 | 12:09 AMBryan Miller/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Residents of Woodsville and its adjoining communities in Hanover have resorted to using the old bridge which had been ordered closed by the National Works Agency (NWA) since the middle of April, as there is still no clear word on how soon the bridge will be repaired.
The NWA had ordered the bridge closed, stating that its abutment was severely eroded, thus making it unsafe for use. The situation had been compounded further by uncertainty among representatives of the NWA and the Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC), about which of the two agencies was responsible for carrying out the remedial work.
The residents claim, however, that the alternative route identified by the NWA was unreasonable, too long, too bad, and would prove to be too expensive for motorists and pedestrians alike.
INSISTENT
The HMC dumped loads of marl at the two ends of the bridge to prevent its use, but the insistent residents continue to use it daily.
“Me have fi go a work, me pay no raise, me barely deh survive as it is now, so me nah use no route which deh guh cost me more money fi guh or come, as me can’t afford it,” one resident told The Gleaner, on a recent visit to the community.
It was observed that the bridge is still in use, mostly by motorcycle riders and pedestrians.
Communications manager at the NWA, Stephen Shaw, told The Gleaner that fixing or replacing the Woodsville bridge is not within his organisation’s reach at this point in time, as the NWA receives $70 million annually for maintenance and rehabilitation of bridges islandwide, and that amount is already far spent.
He argued that the community of Troy, in Trelawny, has been coping with the problem of a compromised bridge for some time before the problem cropped up in Woodsville, Hanover, and if the resources are made available, Troy would be likely to get preference over Woodsville.
Mayor of Lucea and chairman of the HMC, Sheridan Samuels, told The Gleaner during an interview that he, along with the HMC councillor for the Woodsville area, Devon Brown, addressed a community meeting in Woodsville and were pressed by residents on any development on the matter.
“The state of the bridge, as we see it, cannot be repaired, so we (HMC) will be looking technical support from the NWA, in terms of getting a temporary bridge, which is a Bailey bridge, constructed, so that the people can use it to move from one side to the other, and that will ease a lot of pressure that is on the infrastructure right now,” he stated.
“In the meantime then, we (HMC) will be looking about seeking funding from different agencies, to construct a new and permanent bridge,” he added.
When questioned about whether or not the bridge belongs to the HMC or the NWA, Samuels pointed to the plight of the residents of the area at present, arguing that such a situation should take prominence over all else.
“I have said it before, that it is not about finding out as to which agency is responsible for the bridge, it is about getting the bridge repaired so that the residents can use it. They are badly affected socially, economically and also health-wise, it is about the well-being of the people, and they are frustrated,” he stated.
He said while he could not give a time frame for the start of the work, he hopes something can be done in the shortest possible period.
Samuels said the HMC has asked the Social Development Commission (SDC) to put a project proposal together, which could possibly be used as a guide to implementing the project. He said the SDC reports that the proposal will be completed soon.