Spring Village Bridge reopens in St Catherine after $250m rebuild

The rebuilt Spring Village Bridge in St Catherine was officially opened on June 12, 2026, restoring a major community link that had been closed since September 2022 after engineers deemed the old crossing unsafe.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the project was the second bridge opening in two weeks, following the reopening of the Troy Bridge on the Manchester-Trelawny border. He said the former Spring Village structure, also referred to during the ceremony as the Nightingale Grove Bridge, was more than 150 years old and had been weakened by heavy water flows that damaged its supports and approaches.

Officials said the new bridge cost approximately $250 million and includes pedestrian access, concrete retaining works, protective features, signage and road markings. Minister Robert Morgan said the project should improve safety, reduce travel difficulties, support commerce and help residents, students, transport operators and emergency services move more reliably through the area.

Holness said the delay in replacing the bridge was linked to public investment approval requirements, procurement issues, the need for specialised piling equipment and labour challenges. He said the Government intends to review the public investment appraisal process so smaller or nationally important projects can move more efficiently while still protecting taxpayers' money.

The Prime Minister also used the event to appeal for more Jamaicans to enter the workforce, saying construction projects are being affected by shortages of skilled and reliable labour. He said HEART/NSTA Trust training and future government programmes would be used to help bring more unemployed Jamaicans into productive work.

Jamaica Broilers Group was praised for its partnership on the project and for providing an interim pedestrian bridge while the crossing was out of service. Local representatives, the National Works Agency, contractor Mr Woodbine, residents and taxi operators were also thanked for their roles during the construction period.