Closed Spring Village Bridge severely compromised, dangerous

Yesterday, NWA engineers conducted an inspection of the bridge and determined that the structure has been severely compromised.

More than a century old, the Spring Village Bridge connects the community of Spring Village by taking vehicular traffic from the direction of Gutters/Old Harbour Road and vice-versa. The road network is a main artery that also connects the northern communities of Spring Gardens, Dover and Kitson Town.

Manager, communication and customer services at the NWA, Stephen Shaw says that a technical team yesterday inspected the bridge and found the structure to have cracks in the deck and some steel members were compromised from vehicular accidents. One of the two abutments also showed signs of weakness.

“The decision was therefore made to close the structure with immediate effect,” stated the state agency in an advisory to the public. 

In the last few days the community of Spring Village, which lies four miles to the northeast of Old Harbour town, found itself in the national spotlight when a mass shooting carried out by gunmen claimed the lives of three persons, while injuring six others.

Now the community must endure another problem, albeit of a different kind.

Resulting from the closure, motorists wishing to travel from the direction of Gutters/Old Harbour Road are being advised to use the route through Nightingale Grove Farms (Five Acres), which leads back onto the Spring Village main road. The reverse obtains for motorists heading from the opposite direction.

However, the alternate route via Nightingale Grove Farms is in a terrible state of disrepair dating back decades ago. The decision to close the bridge, though of absolute necessity at this time, is also cause for concerns for residents and taxi operators as they will have to dig deeper into their pockets to maintain the road worthiness of their vehicles during the ensuing months ahead. This inconvenience will also have a direct impact on the efficiency of operations at The Best Dressed Chicken factory in the community, as trucks transporting live birds to the plant will experience delays along the alternate route due to the state of the roads.

According to the NWA advisory, the bridge will have to be replaced. In light of this, a detailed report will be prepared and submitted to the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation with a view to seek the necessary funding to erect a new bridge over the Coburn Gully.

And with the impending passage of Tropical Storm Ian south of the island, the integrity of the bridge is likely to be further compromised.