Blame game continues on collapsed Hanover bridge | Main stories

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WEST OFFICE:

As the Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC) is singled out for its inaction to repair the Woodsville Bridge before it collapsed last week, councilors insist that the blame lies with the National Works Agency (NWA).

At Thursday’s monthly HMC meeting, advisers disputed a claim by Everald Warmington, the minister responsible for works in the Prime Minister’s Office, that they were responsible for the collapse. Councilors argued that it was the NWA that received the funding to carry out the repairs to the bridge.

“Our ministry (local government) or the HMC does not have the expertise to repair or build a new bridge. We also don’t get that kind of budget funding,” Lucea Mayor Sheridan Samuels said. “We are saddened by all that is happening regarding this fallen bridge. The lives of people in two municipal divisions are affected.

While touring sections of Westmoreland on Wednesday, Warmington told reporters the collapsed Woodsville Bridge “is a municipal corporation bridge” and as such would be the responsibility of the HMC.

The Woodsville Bridge began showing signs of structural flaws in April 2022, when a section of the structure collapsed into the river below. The NWA and HMC immediately ordered the bridge closed.

At this time, residents of the neighboring districts of Woodsville, Flower Hill, and Hillsbrook continued to use the closed bridge, primarily due to the additional financial burden they would face commuting to work, school, or doing business. outside their communities.

On Good Friday, a year after the bridge was closed, the entire structure finally collapsed, leaving a gaping space above the river below. Residents are now forced to use the most expensive route out of their communities.

“I have been made to understand that a technical team will do an assessment, will come next Wednesday to formulate the scope of work and estimates to build a new bridge, so I am still waiting for Wednesday to have a better understanding of what [structure] will be placed there, ”said Devon Brown, the adviser for the Hopewell division, in which the bridge is located.

Samuels said if the HMC has the expertise and funding, he would be happy to lead the reconstruction as he wants to alleviate the challenges facing residents.

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