ST JAMES, Jamaica — Work is continuing on the Over River Bridge in St James East Central, with design changes being made to improve the structure’s resilience following damage caused by Hurricane Melissa.

Hurricane Melissa made landfall on October 28, 2025, as a category five hurricane, causing widespread destruction to the western region of the island.

Minister with responsibility for works in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development (MEGID), Robert Morgan, said the bridge, which was washed away during the hurricane, is being reconstructed on higher abutments to provide more space beneath the structure and reduce the risk of future damage from debris.

He said the original bridge had been washed further down the river and had to be dismantled and removed using specialised equipment before reconstruction could begin.

“This abutment that you see here was not here before. It’s actually one metre higher than what the bridge was before and the reason why we have done that is to give the bridge more space under the bridge because one of the reasons the bridge was washed away was because of debris, including a large truck, during Melissa,” Morgan said.

Morgan said residents of the Over River community had faced challenges crossing between the two sides of the community, particularly while travelling to work and school.

He said a makeshift crossing had been provided while work on the bridge continues.

“We’re very happy that we have reached the stage where we have been able to provide a makeshift entrance, a makeshift crossing until the bridge is finished,” he said.

Morgan praised the National Works Agency (NWA) for the work being done, while noting that significant recovery work remains following Hurricane Melissa.

According to Morgan, the bridge had to be lengthened because erosion had widened the gap between the two sides.

“The gap has become wider and it just shows you some of the engineering and technical challenges that we’ve had to face but we’re very happy with it. It’s a good bridge…It’s going to last another 20 years for the people of this community and our professionals are putting it together quite nicely,” he said.