Residents of Woodsville, adjoining communities cry for help
Published:Thursday | November 10, 2022 | 3:27 AMBryan Miller/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
THE OVER 1,000 residents who live in the districts of Woodsville, Flower Hill and Hillsbrook, in eastern Hanover, are now at their wits’ end in getting assistance to repair or replace the damaged Woodsville Bridge that they use daily.
The residents continue to use the roadway across the bridge, despite the fact that it has been ordered closed since April by the National Works Agency (NWA) and the Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC). This order was effected when sections of the roadway approaching the bridge, along with the abutment to the bridge, collapsed into the river below, following heavy rainfall in the area.
“The only thing left fi wi do is go demonstrate in a Lucea or Hopewell,” one resident told The Gleaner, adding that such action is farthest from their minds. The resident contended that the communities are losing patience and may be forced to take action since it appears that no one cares about their situation.
“Them come meet wid we one time when di road at di bridge just bruk weh, and make a whole lot of promises, but nothing nuh happen since then,” a female resident told The Gleaner.
She pointed out that those residents who are fearful for their lives use the long route recommended by the NWA as an alternative to get to their workplace, school, or to seek medical attention. However, there are others who have decided to take the risk and use the closed bridge.
A look under the bridge shows the precarious state of the structure, which appears likely to give way any minute.
Checks by The Gleaner confirmed that it was the HMC that dumped loads of marl, traces of which were seen at the site, to block access to the bridge. But residents have used it to patch potholes in the roadways within their communities. Only signs at both ends warning that the bridge is closed remain standing.
“It’s like we have no political representative. Right now it’s not only the bridge, but the roads are awful too,” Sylvia Anderson, a returning resident to Jamaica, who lives in the Flower Hill community, complained to The Gleaner.
She expressed disappointment at the ongoing situation.
“This bridge used to be the one we use when coming from the airport, from St James into Hanover. Now we have to go through a longer way, that is from St James through Westmoreland and then back into Hanover and into Flower Hill, which takes a longer time and is very inconvenient,” she emphasised.
Jeffrey Brown, councillor caretaker for the Hopewell division, also expressed disappointment.
“I am very disappointed, and the situation is really disrespectful to the people of the area as the bridge had collapsed since April, and several promises were made to the residents and nothing has been done to date,” said Brown.
He pleaded for a joint effort between the HMC and the NWA to fix the bridge.
In April when the roadway to the bridge collapsed, NWA Communications Manager Stephen Shaw told The Gleaner that fixing or replacing the Woodsville Bridge was not within the agency’s reach at that time, pointing out that the money granted for the maintenance and rehabilitation of bridges islandwide in the 2022-23 Budget was already allocated.
When contacted, councillor for the Hopewell division in the HMC, Devon Brown, said: “I know we (HMC) have sent off all the documents to the ministry (local government and development) that were requested of us, which will forward them (documents) to the NWA. So, it’s just to do some follow-up on what’s the status within the ministry now.”