Heavy rainfall over last weekend (May 23-25), has resulted in the collapse of the historic Bailey Bridge which was launched at the Yallahs Ford in St. Thomas just over seven months ago. The rains which affected the entire island, dumped powerful flood waters in the area and undermined the abutment on the eastern side of the Ford on which the Bailey Bridge rested.

Minister of Transport & Works, Honourable Robert Pickersgill, visited the site on Saturday and immediately gave instructions to the Chief Executive Officer of the National Works Agency, Ivan Anderson, to expedite preparations for the construction of a new and permanent bridge to span the Yallahs Ford. According to Minister Pickersgill, on the insistence of the Prime Minister, Cabinet approved the construction of the new bridge in April and two weeks ago the financing arrangements were signed under the Mabey Johnson Bridge Replacement Programme. The cost of the new bridge is estimated at just over $180M.

CEO of the NWA, Ivan Anderson, said he was hoping that the Agency would have been in a position to build the new bridge before the temporary Bailey Bridge was affected. He said the heavy rains and accompanying flood waters have significantly eroded the eastern abutment of the Yallahs Ford on which the Bailey Bridge rested. Mr. Anderson explained that once the abutment collapsed, the bridge would have fallen. While being cautious about giving timelines, Mr. Anderson disclosed that the Works Agency is now in a position to begin driving piles for the construction of new abutments within another 6-8 weeks and that the new bridge should be ready for opening within 20 months, because designs are complete and the drawings should be ready within a few weeks.

In the meantime, State Minister for Transport & Works, Dr. Fenton Ferguson, has expressed concern about the likely effect that the collapse of the bridge will have on the construction industry. Minister Ferguson says the two major sources of the supply of aggregates are in St. Thomas and the bridge at Yallahs was a critical link for truckers of the building material. He said concerns are fuelled by the weight restrictions that are in place on the bailey bridge along the alternative route through Albion and Easington. That bridge can only accommodate 12 tons. Minister Ferguson said in light of this, he will be scheduling an emergency meeting with the stakeholders in the construction industry as soon as possible to find ways to minimize the impact of the fall-out.

The 240ft. Yallahs Bridge was the longest of its kind in the world and was erected in record time by the NWA with assistance from the engineering arm of the Jamaica Defence Force in October last year.