For years, residents in Retreat and sections of Rio Nuevo in St Mary have been appealing to the relevant authorities to fix a severely dilapidated bridge in the parish that provides access to Retreat.
The residents are now frustrated and fed up with what they are calling the lack of concern from their Member of Parliament and Parish Council to fix the bridge. They took to the streets last week to vent their concerns and said no time during the week did they hear from Joylan Silvera, MP for West St Mary. At least on one day, Councillor for the Boscobel Division Fitzroy Wilson went to the scene of the protest. He spoke about his failed efforts to get an allocation for fixing the bridge. Mr Silvera told The Times, this week, that he has been in touch with the residents and suggested the protests were “staged”.
The frustration of the residents heightened after a teenaged girl was trying to cross the bridge and fell. Her foot got stuck in a section of the bridge and she was injured and taken to hospital.
The wooden planks that form the flooring of what should have been a temporary bridge have been falling out and have left a gaping hole that is difficult and dangerous to cross on foot.
The residents who protested on a section of the North Coast highway said they are running out of patience, especially with Mr Silvera. They say the MP has been silent on the matter and they want to hear from him. “Since him win election, we can’t hear from him. We need the bridge fi fix cuz somebody else is gonna get hurt. All we need is for him to fix the bridge,” one resident said.
One woman, known only as ‘San San’ says over 12 people have been injured on the bridge since the start of the year. She fears that with school set to begin in a week, children may get hurt. “We children a go back to school soon and the bridge only a get worse. All we need is a few boards fi fix it, we will help,” said San San.
Chairman of the St Mary Parish Council, Leevan Freeman had said that work would start on the bridge. However, so far, no work has begun on the bridge.
Member of Parliament, Joylan Silvera said that he was informed of the situation, days before the protest, regarding the deterioration of some of the wooden planks across the bridge. Silvera told The Times that he informed residents that he was going to send the National Works Agency (NWA) to do an estimate and then lobby the minister to see what could be done.
Silvera said that with all this in place, the bridge was still accessible to the commuting public. Explaining that he repaired a section of e bridge a year ago, Mr Silvera accused the residents of a “staged protest,” saying that when estimates were done by the NWA, 10 members were missing and during the protest, 20 were missing.
He said that since last Saturday, repairs were effected to the bridge and it is now drivable but further works are to be carried out.
Silvera indicated that the rapid deterioration of the bridge is contributed to by trucks carrying more than the laden weight across the bridge. “We have to protect what we have,” the MP said.
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