RESIDENTS of several rural communities who have been suffering for years with dilapidated, and in some cases collapsed bridges, should start getting relief by early next year.

Minister with responsibility for works Robert Morgan on Thursday told the Jamaica Observer that 55 modular bridges — which will be built in the United Kingdom by the British firm Acrow, a global leader in bridge infrastructure for more than 75 years — will start arriving in the island by late this year.

They will then be installed by Lagan Aviation, a contractor from the UK which specialises in civil engineering on complex projects.

Both entities already have experience with Jamaica and will work closely with the National Works Agency.

Morgan noted that the 55 bridges will be upgraded at a cost of US$100 million under the Accelerated Rural Bridge Development Programme, which aims to install a range of permanent vehicular and pedestrian bridges in strategic areas.

On Wednesday, Morgan told a post-Cabinet media briefing that the Government recognises that durable, high-quality climate-resilient infrastructure plays a vital role in poverty alleviation and is critical for sustainable economic growth.

He noted that 40 per cent of Jamaica’s population live in rural areas and are served by roads and bridges that have been in service for over a century.

“A good example of that would be the Troy Bridge, which was over 100 years old and collapsed due to old age. Many of these have not been updated to current loads and traffic requirements and are heavily affected by climate change, heavy rainfall and flooding as well as natural disasters,” said Morgan.

“It is a build-and-install project. The bridges will not be built in Jamaica. The company will be building and installing the bridges, so it’s a much quicker and easier project to implement than the standard approach that we usually take towards the procurement of major infrastructure works,” added Morgan.

He told the post-Cabinet media briefing that the bridges to be upgraded include the Rio Cobre Irrigation Canal Bridge, Bushy Park Bridge, Richmond Prison Bridge, Eden Bridge, Silver Hill Bridge, Bybrook Bridge, Rock Bridge, and Ramble Bridge.

According to Morgan, the full list of bridges will be published by the end of February.

The Accelerated Rural Bridge Development Programme is being financed through UK Export Finance (UKEF), the British Government’s export credit agency dedicated to promoting international trade and investment by providing financing solutions for British exporters.

The signing of a framework agreement for the programme took place on Thursday, January 23 at a reception hosted by British High Commissioner to Jamaica Judith Slater at her residence in St Andrew.

Speaking at the reception Slater described the deal a milestone in the long-standing partnership between the UK and Jamaica.

“I talk a lot about building bridges between our two countries, but that is in the abstract. Tonight, we’re building bridges for real. This is a significant step in the shared commitment to modernise infrastructure,” said Slater.

She pointed out that the agreement builds on a memorandum of understanding signed in April 2024 by the Jamaican Government, through the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, and UKEF.

Addressing the signing ceremony Minister of Finance and the Public Service Fayval Williams expressed the Government’s appreciation for the initiative.

“It’s a signal of us moving the discussion along further to dismantle old bridges…This is a serious undertaking, and it demonstrates the commitment of the Government of Jamaica to move forward with this, and I’m sure that the people of Jamaica, when they get the news about this, will be very happy.

“Building bridges, updating the ones that we have will mean that our network infrastructure is that much more resilient,” said Williams.