Residents at Arthur Seat, St Thomas, are calling for an urgent fix to the bridge in the area which they say has been a hazard for far too long.
The bridge, residents said, was damaged more than a year ago and a wooden barricade was constructed on the cracked section to protect road users.
However, they added that the placement of the structure had been the cause of many accidents and close shaves.
Resident Ondre Taitt said that several times, motorists had crashed into the barricade or risked collision by trying to avoid it.
“It wants dealing with. Everyone comes in and hits that. What happen is that people coming this way believe because they have the right of way that they’re not supposed to stop. It will take some dealing with for real. We get around it because we live here and we know how to manoeuvre around it but people who don’t know run into problems,” he said.
Xeron Lovell offered the same verdict, noting there were accidents in the area every week.
“They only came and put the barricade up but that ain’t really doing anything. Right now the wood rotting and falling to pieces, and the nails fall into the road and puncturing people’s tyres. It really wants fixing,” he said.
Another resident, who opted to remain anonymous, said that because the bridge was at the bottom of the incline, the speed with which motorists approached the area sometimes left others with little room to manoeuvre.
“People that don’t know this area drive down here and see that, and they stop abruptly. On a busier day with a lot of cars coming down it also causes a lot of traffic back-up because of the cars trying to move around it,” the resident said.
When contacted for comment, parliamentary representative for St Thomas, Gregory Nicholls, said he had observed the state of the bridge and would have it rectified.
“There was work done on that area, but not on the bridge. The road was paved in Arthur Seat, so what I will commit to doing is to speak to the minister to clarify what is the position there and see whether it can get rectified as soon as possible. That bridge is an important transit point, so it has to be rectified,” he said.
Nicholls also expressed concern about the danger caused by speeding drivers, which he said was raised by several residents.
“My concern is not only the bridge but the speed at which people are coming down there, especially public service vehicles. I have also had some encounters there because the road is being paved from the top to the bottom, and that is now creating another challenge.
“In fact, during the election, people were asking about getting some speed humps in the area there and making sure there’s an adequate sidewalk.”
The MP said that some roads and several bridges in St Thomas had seen better days and added that the necessary attention should not be too far away.
“You can see some improvements coming to St Thomas and I’m being patient. It is the biggest concern for residents in terms of the state of the roads but the bridges also need to get some attention.
“I’m very, very hopeful that attention is coming soon. Given that the roadworks are really coming to a state of completion in two of the major arteries in St Thomas, the roads are being completed and infrastructure being improved,” he said.
(JRN)
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