THE EDITOR, Sir:
IN MAY 2003, I brought the deteriorating condition of the Black River bridge to the attention of the general public and to the Minister of Transport and Works, Robert Pickersgill, and the Member of Parliament, Donald Buchanan, and that letter prompted the minister to do me the courtesy of a reply but I am yet to hear from Mr. Buchanan.
Both The Gleaner and The Sunday Herald made it public in your commentary pages of your papers.
The reply I got from the minister of transport and works assured me that the exigency of the matter of the replacement of the bridge was on his schedule of road repairs and rehabilitation, yet the bridge is still there unattended to, further deteriorated waiting for the day when it may finally collapse.
I assume the authorities became cognisant of its precarious and dangerous condition why they stopped pedestrians and vehicular traffic from traversing on it and instead erected a transient makeshift bridge parallel to the existing one so narrow that only one lane of traffic can pass over it at any given time.
Sensing the danger, heavy vehicles like loaded trucks are prohibited from using the rickety structure which in itself is beckoning disaster.
To warn the heavy vehicle users of the impending peril, at both ends of the bridge notices are erected in the most inconspicuous place on a design not much bigger than an exercise book, stating what weight of vehicles can cross over the makeshift bridge.
It is very easy for anyone, whether walking, riding a donkey, riding a bicycle, or driving to zip pass and not see what is written on them and especially those that are travelling from other parishes.
DISILLUSIONED
My survey finds very disgruntled and disillusioned drivers of heavy vehicles who have to find alternative routes and not over the bridge as the main route for commercial use to transport their goods to other parishes adjacent to St. Elizabeth and while they are aware that that would have taken place when the replacement of a new bridge gets under way, they express their inconvenience and cannot understand the tardiness of the government in putting up a new one, since its over six years it was inspected and found to be in a state of
disrepair.
A very salient point in the matter at this stage is that the government announced earlier that funds for a new bridge were identified and allocated so if that was correct, the obvious question is, what is the cause of the undue delay and foot-dragging in replacing the old dangerous and decrepit bridge?
My finding among the
citizens is a behaviour of complete complacency and they do not group themselves and take important issues to their MP, the National Works Agency Agency, the parish council and the mnister of transport and works under whose purview and portfolio the Black River bridge falls.
Mr. MP, it is your parish and the job you have for five years, the citizens of your division voted you in office to look after their welfare and Mr. Minister of Transport and Works, you have the overall responsibility to see to the urgency of this matter.
I will just have to watch and wait to see how long it will take for work to start on the erecting of a new bridge in my parish of St. Elizabeth.
I am, etc.,
DAVID A. SAMMS
842 East 55th Street
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11234, USA
