PORT MARIA, St Mary — There’s another attempt being made to have a footbridge swinging once again across the Otram River, which runs through this coastal town and sometimes contributes to widespread flooding.

The previous pedestrian bridge was taken out of operation decades ago but the columns that anchored it are still in place.

The structure linked two crucial streets in Port Maria — Main Street where the transportation centre is situated, and Market Street where the public library, market and Claude Stuart Park are located.

The swinging bridge was also convenient for people wishing to escape the traffic and bustle of Port Maria’s town centre.

“That pedestrian Bailey bridge that we intend on putting back is absolutely critical to the town,” Mayor of Port Maria Richard Creary declared during last Thursday’s sitting of the St Mary Municipal Corporation.

He had made a similar declaration a decade ago when he was mayor and chairman of the corporation.

During the meeting Thursday, Creary explained that plans for the new swinging bridge were far advanced up to when the local government elections were held in 2012 and his Jamaica Labour Party lost its control of the St Mary Municipal Corporation.

The political tables again turned in the 2016 Local Government Elections, and Creary was again placed in charge of the corporation.

Now, in the twilight of his current stint, Creary, who is the councillor of the Richmond Division, is happy to be taking another shot at having the new footbridge in place.

“We will be pursuing this and hopefully, we can complete it before the end of the year as one of the 60th Independence anniversary legacy projects,” he told councillors at the meeting.

He has a grand opportunity to make the project a reality considering that the corporation is likely to have construction of the bridge funded by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport.

That ministry, Creary disclosed, has written to the corporation asking it to identify a legacy project for St Mary in recognition of the island’s 60th anniversary this year.

The rebuilding of the pedestrian bridge was high on the list of proposals put forward during a recent meeting of the corporation’s Civic and Culture Committee, Creary said.

He also stated that he has written to the National Works Agency (NWA) requesting its technical expertise in terms of providing estimates in relation to the proposed bridge. The NWA has responded positively.

In the meantime, residents like Phillip Brown, who will turn 61 next month, have fond memories of the original footbridge.

He recalled that it swung high above the Otram, and so was never affected when the river was in spate.

Brown, who lives at Pagee district in Port Maria, also told the Jamaica Observer that boys had fun leaping from the footbridge into the river below.

“Wi need back the swinging bridge so that the elders can use it to go across the river and go to the market,” Brown added. “The elders afraid to cross the [current] bridge because vehicles drive on it and any accident can happen.”