Western Parishes Prioritised For 55 New Bridges Under National Works Programme

Western Jamaica is set to benefit from most of the 55 bridges the Government plans to build over the next 30 months through the Accelerated Bridge Programme.

The announcement was made by Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development with responsibility for Works, Hon. Robert Morgan, who said the programme is part of a wider push to strengthen infrastructure in communities that suffered the worst effects of Hurricane Melissa last October.

Mr. Morgan was speaking on Friday, June 5, at the official opening of the new Troy Bridge. The $230-million crossing links the Troy to Oxford main road along the Manchester-Trelawny border.

“We know what happened in the West. The parishes of Hanover, Trelawny, Westmoreland, St. James and St. Elizabeth bore the brunt of the damage from Hurricane Melissa. So those are the parishes [to receive the majority],” Mr. Morgan stated.

He said Cabinet has recently given approval for the project, which is designed to replace 55 bridges islandwide within a 30-month timeline.

“This is not an accident. It represents the thinking of your Government. A deliberate approach to ensure that we’re building Jamaica stronger post Hurricane Melissa. We’re building stronger, safer, more reliable crossings, so that communities will not be cut off,” Mr. Morgan outlined.

There are now about 875 bridges across Jamaica under the control and management of the National Works Agency. Many of those crossings were constructed several decades ago, while some go back more than 100 years to the colonial period.

Mr. Morgan said the ageing bridge network is now being tested by conditions that were not contemplated when many of the structures were built, including heavier traffic, more intense rainfall, flooding, river erosion and climate change.

“As your Minister with responsibility for Works, assigned by the Prime Minister, I am very clear that infrastructure is not an abstract thought. Infrastructure has real impact on people’s lives. A bridge is not just a bridge. A bridge is a connector of communities, parishes and people,” he emphasised.