Completion of Troy Bridge set for December

The National Works Agency (NWA) says the $231-million Troy Bridge reconstruction project in Trelawny is now set to be completed in December after the August deadline was missed due to "unforeseen problems".

The former Troy Bridge, which connected sections of south Trelawny and north west Manchester, was destroyed during Tropical Storm Sandy in 2021.

In November 2024 Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness announced that, "a replacement bridge will be constructed at a cost of $230 million. It is scheduled to be finished in seven months."

However, Stephen Shaw, Communication and Customer Services Manager at the National Works Agency (NWA) says "a few unforeseen problems cropped up and caused us to miss our August 2025 completion date."

Shaw said the project is now 80 per cent complete, with only the access roads and some river training left to be done.

Meanwhile, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development with Responsibility for Works, Robert Morgan, during a briefing with reporters, stakeholders, and residents in Troy on Wednesday, expressed satisfaction with the progress of the project and reiterated that its completion will not only restore a vital crossing but also symbolise the Government’s broader commitment to modernising Jamaica’s infrastructure.

“I am happy that Jamaicans can see the work that we have done. There is still some work left to be done to finish in December but we are very sure that when the work is finished, the people of this area will be very proud,” he stated.

Morgan also announced that an accompanying phase of road rehabilitation on both approaches to the new Troy Bridge is scheduled to commence in January 2026.

The upgrades are designed to further enhance connectivity for residents, students, and businesses, while sustaining the economic momentum anticipated from the completion of the Troy Bridge project.

“For the past four years, this bridge has been out, and it has really had a devastating economic impact. Troy is a very important economic hub for both Manchester and Trelawny.

“We have to rehabilitate the roads for the farmers, for the students, for the residents, for persons who are coming here to do business, because we want to reinvigorate Troy,” Morgan said.

Kareem Frater, Principal of Troy Primary School, is looking forward to the completion of the bridge noting that some students had stopped attending the school following the collapse of the structure.

"We lost 30 students who travelled from across the bridge. Since the construction of a foot walk bridge and the almost completion of the new bridge we have received 10 students who live across the bridge," he said.

- Leon Jackson and JIS

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