A section of the Yallahs Ford in St. Thomas was once again washed out by heavy flood waters last week. Work to construct a new bridge has been temporarily suspended due to the inclement weather. A similar problem now faces residents in the neighbouring parish of Portland.

Mayor seeks lighting for footpath after bridge collapses- Norman Grindley/Deputy Chief Photographerp>RIO GRANDE VALLEY, Portland:

Residents of River's View, to the west of the Rio Grande valley are in danger of being marooned if the main road, which has been severely eroded by flood waters, isn't repaired soon.

A section of the River's View main road is being eroded and with each shower, the nearby Rio Grande, which is overflowing its banks, is fast tracking the process.

At present, the community is being closely watched, in case evacuation procedures become necessary.

Problems for Portland residents began earlier this week, when more than 2,400 residents in four communities in the upper Rio Grande valley in Portland were left with just a foot path to access the rest of the country, after the Dry River bridge, at Ginger House, collapsed under the weight of a heavy-duty truck transporting gravel.

The National Works Agency (NWA) had earlier posted a weight limit sign at the entrance to the bridge indicating that the maximum weight limit is 12 tons. The posting of the sign came in the wake of an inspection carried out by engineers from the NWA earlier, who indicated that the bridge was in need of repairs.

On Wednesday, Mayor of Port Antonio, and councillor for the Fellowship division, Benny White, explained that the life of students, farmers, and other working-class persons had been disrupted following the collapse of the bridge.

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He pointed out that with n route leading from the affected communities including Comfort Castle, Mill Bank and Bowden, the livelihood of many was now stunted.

"98 per cent of the population in those affected communities consists of farmers," he said.

"They rely heavily on market trucks to transport their produce into Port Antonio, where they are sold. And to make matters worse, the inclement weather has compounded their problems," he added.

But Mayor White noted that there is a small foot track, which can be used by residents extending all the way into Cornwall Barracks. He noted also, that once persons arrive in that community, they could easily access public transport into Windsor on route to Port Antonio.

"The foot track route is risky and poses some dangers as well. The Portland Parish Council is now seeking funding to the tune of $150,000 to clear that pathway, so as to make that route more accessible to residents. I am also appealing to the state minister responsible for the parish councils, Robert Montague, to assist the residents with some lighting as that pathway is extremely dark at nights," added Mayor White.

The mayor also explained that it was widely known that the bridge was in a bad condition and was in need of dire repairs. He said a new structure was imported sometime ago to replace the old one, but that a lack of funding has hampered the start to the work.

The mayor also said that three other bridges in the Rio Grande Valley were slated to undergo repairs the Alligator Church bridge, which has received funding of $35 million, the Matty River bridge and the Lime Bud River bridge, which are still awaiting funding.

- Gareth Davis Sr.