THE Stubs Bridge in Spanish Town, St Catherine, which spans the Rio Cobre River and links Spanish Town to Kingston, will be repaired to the tune of $3 million, according to Roger Smith, National Works Agency (NWA) technical services manager.

Smith said engineering work will start in the next financial year, which begins in April, but was unable to say when the project would begin or how long it was likely to last.

“We will be sandblasting, painting and strengthening the structure where necessary,” Smith told the Observer on Monday.

“This will entail taking off rust and corrosion formed over the years to assess if it needs additional plates, in fact a complete renovation job will be done,” he said. He added that appropriate bridge markings and road signals would complete the repairs to the bridge.

Last week, the condition of the bridge sparked a heated debate in the St Catherine Parish Council’s monthly meeting. Several councillors argued that the bridge was unsafe and demanded that it be repaired before it created a disaster.

“The columns are showing signs of rotting and the bridge needs repainting. But quite apart from that, the bridge in its present state poses a danger at nights. It has no lights which adds to the danger,” Councillor Daphne Innerarity complained.

The Lauriston division councillor also bemoaned the fact that the bridge was narrow, making it difficult for two vehicles to pass. In addition, she pointed out that pedestrians and bicycle riders were forced to use the roadway as the lane provided for them was blocked by the National Water Commission’s (NWC) 30-inch pipes.

“At nights, drivers of vehicles find it difficult to negotiate the bridge from any angle. We cannot tolerate this neglect. The entrance to our town should be more imposing,” Innerarity said.

But Smith dismissed suggestions that the bridge posed a danger.

“There is nothing obviously wrong with the bridge. There are signs of heavy rusting, and this is sign enough that the core condition of the structure is deteriorating,” he explained, pointing out that the main structure of the bridge had not been compromised. He added that if the metal plating was corroding and the primary members were in bad condition, then that would repaired.

Smith was, however, cautious in committing the agency to further specifics. He said a preliminary assessment of the bridge would be made before drawing up a blueprint of the engineering works required to make the bridge safe for pedestrians and the heavy vehicular traffic which traverses the facility daily.

He admitted that the width of the bridge was less than ideal. The standard functional road width of a bridge is 24 feet, with two lanes carrying 12 feet in each lane, plus a five foot wide sidewalk.

But Stubs Bridge, he said, was about 11 feet wide in each lane. “The width is slightly restricted in both lanes, but it is still acceptable,” he remarked.