Spring Village residents finally get new bridge after four-year ordeal. | News
After enduring four years of hardship and inconvenience, residents of Spring Village in Old Harbour are now benefiting from the newly constructed Spring Village Bridge, a $250-million project officially handed over on Friday by Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness.
The bridge, which replaces a structure that was closed in September 2022, is expected to significantly improve transportation, commerce, and public safety in the community.
Addressing the handover ceremony, Holness used the occasion to highlight the need for changes to Jamaica’s public investment appraisal process, arguing that smaller projects should not be subjected to lengthy approval procedures.
“It is a critical process, as I said. It is important but it needs to be smarter, it needs to consider materiality, for example,” Holness stated.
He questioned whether relatively small infrastructure projects should undergo the same rigorous assessment as much larger undertakings.
“Is the $250 million material to the $60 billion or the $100 billion that we are going to spend on infrastructure? If it is not material, then it doesn’t have to go through all of the process,” he stressed, while trying to create an understanding of why projects take time to implement.
The prime minister argued that once a decision has been made to proceed with a project, it should not be unnecessarily delayed by bureaucratic procedures.
“A decision made to implement a project should not be subjected to the process because the decision has already been made,” he said.
“Not all projects have to go through the extensive process,” he claimed.
Holness also pointed to challenges affecting project delivery across the country, including a shortage of contractors with the capacity to undertake major bridge construction projects and a lack of skilled and unskilled labour.
He described labour shortages as a major obstacle to economic growth.
“Yes ,my friends, labour is a constraint on.our growth. Every young person who decides that they are going to stay home or stay on the corner because ‘They are not paying me enough’, we lose productivity,” he said.
To address the issue, Holness said the Government’s HOPE programme has helped to bring approximately 20,000 workers into the labour force.
He however estimated that there are still about 50,000 unemployed persons who could potentially fill available jobs.
According to the prime minister, while training remains a challenge, attitudes toward work are an even greater concern.
He said the Government is currently in dialogue with HEART/NSTA Trust to facilitate greater workforce participation and noted that Jamaica may eventually need to recruit workers from overseas to supplement local labour shortages.
Meanwhile, Robert Morgan, minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development, said the bridge would deliver tangible benefits to the community.
He noted that the structure will improve the daily lives of residents, increase commercial activity, enhance public safety and boost confidence within the community.
Morgan also rejected claims that the Government has failed to adequately support local contractors.
“I wish to posit today that the data does not support that assertion,” he said.
He pointed to a combined US$1.2 billion spent on local infrastructure projects, with Jamaican contractors accounting for approximately US$700 million of that expenditure.
The Spring Village Bridge was ordered closed by the National Works Agency in September 2022 after concerns arose about its structural integrity. The closure created significant economic hardship for residents, many of whom were forced to pay increased transportation costs to travel in and out of the community.
The project was made possible through a partnership between the Government and Jamaica Broilers Group, which contributed $50 million toward the construction costs.
Residents expressed relief at the completion of the bridge, which restores a critical transportation link and brings an end to years of inconvenience and additional expenses.
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