Black River Bridge Closes Next Week

The long awaited closure of the Black River bridge in St. Elizabeth, will take place next week. Approaches to the Bailey bridge that will be used as an alternative while the old bridge undergoes repair, are nearing completion.
Speaking with JIS News, Vando Palmer, Manager, Communications and Customer Services at the National Works Agency (NWA), said during the course of this week, “we should be asphalting the approaches and putting up the stop light, because the bridge is going to be a single-lane bridge of approximately 100 feet”.
“We need to control the traffic as it enters the bridge, so as to reduce confusion and possible accidents. Once that is completed during the course of this week, by next week we will be closing the Black River Bridge for comprehensive repairs and open the Bailey bridge,” he added.
Addressing the stoppage of rehabilitation work on the Sandy Gully bridge along Spanish Town Road, Mr. Palmer revealed that work should resume shortly.
“All things being equal, we are pushing for that bridge to be completed and re-opened to vehicular traffic within another three and a half months. The girders for the bridge are now at the works yard of the contractor. The paint for the girders has been ordered and should be arriving in the island soon,” he told JIS News.
Mr. Palmer explained that once the girders are painted and the fabrication work completed, the contractor would take them to the site and begin the demolition of the existing cross-members of the bridge. The girders would then be launched and the deck of the bridge cast. Finally, the bridge would be asphalted and re-opened to the public, he pointed out.
The Sandy Gully bridge was closed in April 2003.