WOODSVILLE, Hanover – The National Works Agency (NWA) says a new concrete structure will be built to replace the Hillsbrook bridge which collapsed last Saturday, leaving residents of several communities politely but firmly pleading for help.

However, there is no word yet on the timeline for completion or the cost.

“The technical team has assessed the situation and will be designing a bridge for the area,” the NWA’s community relations officer, western region, Janel Ricketts, told the Jamaica Observer Tuesday afternoon.

Before it crumbled, the 100-year-old bridge linked a municipal corporation road to one that falls under the purview of the NWA. However, according to Observer sources, the local body does not have the funds to repair the bridge and will have to seek assistance from the Ministry of Local Government. The NWA is providing technical assistance on the new structure.

Efforts to get an update from the Hanover Municipal Corporation, which had oversight for the old structure, were unsuccessful on Tuesday as members were said to be locked in a meeting for much of the day. But Member of Parliament for Hanover Eastern Dave Brown said a team from the NWA is to visit the area next week to begin soil testing.

Residents of Flower Hill, Woodsville, Hillsbrook and other areas have been severely inconvenienced by the bridge’s collapse.

On Saturday, president of the Woodsville Community Development Committee Sashagay Frazer told the Observer that the alternative route via Cascade is not a viable option.

“Not even donkeys can walk on that road. It is totally impassable and there is a section of that road that has already been eaten away. There is a section there that probably [only] small vehicles can pass because half of the gully bank has [been] eaten away into the river,” she said. “There needs to be some attention and that is a ridiculous road, too. I would not advise anybody to drive on that road at night. It is dangerous. It is a lonely road.”

Brown said efforts are being made to have remedial work done to that route in the shortest time possible.

On Tuesday, the Observer reported that residents from the area were calling for the intervention of Prime Minister Andrew Holness to have the bridge swiftly replaced.

They made it clear that they are a peaceful community and would not engage in disruptive and destructive actions to draw attention to their plight.