Bailey bridges will not be completed for Christmas (+video)

Residents north of the Rabacca Dry River, who had been promised that Bailey bridges being erected at two troublesome river crossings would be ready in time for Christmas, will have to wait a little longer.

The residents were anxiously expecting an end to the nightmarish situation that they have had to face on many occasions when it rains heavily in the interior rendering the crossings at the Noel and Overland rivers, impassable.

Although the bridge at the Overland river crossing is in a more advanced state than the one at Noel, it is clear that neither bridge will be ready in time for Christmas 2022 as promised.
And, even the Parliamentary representative for North Windward and Minister for Communications and Works, Montgomery Daniel has had his expectations dashed.

When contacted on Tuesday December 20, 2022, Minister Daniel told SEARCHLIGHT “My expectation was to have vehicular access before Christmas 2022. However, I am mindful of the terrible weather conditions that rained on our shores; but I am indeed thankful as to where we are at this time.”

Heavy rainfall for the past few months has disrupted the progress of the work which is now projected to be finished in January, 2023. Workers at this site declined to offer any comment noting that they were not authorised to speak.

At Overland, one of the workers, speaking on condition of anonymity, told SEARCHLIGHT on Tuesday, December 20 that although the Bailey bridge is completed, “there are still some works to be completed before the project can be handed over.”

The approach road on the southern end of the bridge, and the retaining wall and approach road on the northern end are not yet done.

Additionally, railings along the retaining wall on the riverside at the northern end are to be erected, and grills at each end of the bridge are not yet installed. The worker was confident that once the weather conditions are favourable, all works should be completed in the first to second week of January, 2023.

At the Noel River crossing, work was ongoing on the Bailey bridge, with construction of retaining walls having to be completed, and construction of the approach roads at both ends of the Bailey bridge not yet begun.

On the bus from Noel river to Overland river, a woman remarked, “I hope they finished it soon for we are tired of not being sure if we will get back to our house. Once them bridges done, business will pick up. nutt’n to worry about when river come down.”

One worker remarked that it is expected that on completion, the two Bailey bridges will become a gathering point for curious persons to view the waters rushing down below.

For years, heavy water and huge amounts of debris at the river crossings at Noel and Overland have made these access points problematic for both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. On Christmas Eve 2021, scores of people were trapped for hours on the bank of the Overland River, and did not get home until in the wee hours of Christmas Day due to flooding.