A contract in the sum of US$5.537M was signed at the Offices of the Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing on Wednesday, December 16, 2015 for the construction of the Kupius Bridge in northern Clarendon.
The Bridge which is located in the district of Pennants, spans the Rio Minho which is the second largest river in the island. Bridge inspections over the years have revealed an advanced state of corrosion and continued deterioration of the current structure. Added to that, the limited vehicular load carrying capacity has made rehabilitation uneconomical, hence the need for a new modern structure with new alignment and increased load bearing capacity.
The new bridge to be constructed by CHEC is a modern two lane re-inforced concrete structure. It will comprise two spans; sufficient in overall length to span the Rio Minho waterway and will be founded on concrete piles eliminating its susceptibility to collapse due to scour and undermining. The bridge, when complete, will connect the parish capital May Pen to its major northern towns thus ensuring the commercial and economic viability of these areas.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Transport, Works and Housing Minister, Dr. the Hon Omar Davies underscored the importance of the project which is being built under the Major Infrastructure Development Project (MIDP). The Minister noted that the construction of the bridge is yet another effort on the part of the Ministry to improve the infrastructure of the country.
For his part, Hon. Horace Dalley, Minister of Health and MP for part of the area in which the bridge falls said that this is a welcome move to construct the bridge to replace the 100 year old current structure. He said that the various communities along the area where the bridge traverses will benefit greatly as a result.
And in committing to support the Project, Mr. Pearnel Charles, MP for North Central Clarendon, the other constituency in which the bridge falls said its construction will be a welcome boost for the area.
Contractor for the Project is CHEC and work is scheduled to last for some 15 months.