Yet another delay in the Bruce Vale Bridge reconstruction in St Andrew has sparked frustration among residents in Baxters, as recent heavy rains forced fresh setbacks to a project already years behind schedule.
The long-awaited bridge, closed since 2021, is seen by villagers as vital – but slow progress and recurring obstacles have left hopes for completion increasingly distant.
One outspoken Baxters resident, Lester Boyce, told Barbados TODAY that people have grown weary of the slow progress.
“It’s taking too long,” he said. “It’s definitely too long. It look like it gonna tek another two years,” he lamented. “They say they’re going up for a little bit of time, but dis must be going five or six years now. But we can’t do no better.”
Boyce, who visited the site following overnight rainfall, said the wet weather has worsened conditions. “That gonna be another setback, ’cause they got to wait ’til it dry off,” he noted, adding that he came “to look and see what the river do”. He said much of the marl and mud that had been heaped along the banks was “washed away” meaning crews will have to start over in some areas.
The Bruce Vale Bridge was closed in 2021 after structural failure and was one of eight bridges identified for reconstruction under the Scotland District Road Rehabilitation Programme. Work officially began on January 13, 2025, with demolition expected to last three weeks.
But by June, George Holder, the Ministry of Transport and Works consultant on the project, revealed that progress had been hindered by unforeseen ground conditions. “The major delay has been the redesign of the foundations of the abutments,” he explained. “When we excavated to see what the materials were really like, we found that despite the geotechnical investigations that were carried out, the actual ground beneath the foundations was not as anticipated.”
Boyce said he hopes to see the roads in the area improved once work resumes, explaining that motorists must navigate carefully due to loose rocks and uneven surfaces. “Even so, they start a project further up, it ain’t done yet,” he said. “You got to be careful how you driving there.”
Despite his frustration, Boyce remains optimistic that the area will eventually benefit from the repairs. “At least nothing that I or nobody can do,” he added. “Just hope for the best.” (LE)
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