BRIDGE REOPENS

THE Joes River Pedestrian Bridge has not been operational for the past 15 years, but thankfully it was recently rebuilt and officially reopened yesterday.

The reopening saw Attorney General Dale Marshall, MP for St. Joseph, along with those who had made the rebuilding possible, including Joe Brooker’s Building Limited and several residents come together for the historic event. One of the co-ordinators of the initiative, Edward Ince, stated that the pedestrian bridge represented an important link between Cattlewash and Bathsheba, and facilitated economic and cultural activity for both locals and visitors.

“People working in the area had to walk up the hill, including students from the Alleyne School and hikers had to climb the rocks to travel from the East Coast side to Bathsheba,” said the co-ordinator.

Ince explained that Manager of Joe Brooker’s Building Limited, Damian Brooker, had approached him and expressed an interest in rebuilding the bridge.

“He told me he wanted to rebuild the bridge and I asked him what was stopping him, he pondered and said maybe some funding. He went through the design and I told him to build it and we will find the funds,” explained Ince.

After about ten days, a couple trucks of lumber from Carter’s General Store, hard work and conversations with contributors including local entities and individuals, the bridge was rebuilt.

The signage for the bridge was done in collaboration with the Tourism Development Corporation, the Barbados Museum and the Future Centre Trust.

The location of the pedestrian bridge also provides a strategic connection to the Barbados Railway that was once a very active part of the transportation infrastructure of the area. The vision of the $50,000 pedestrian bridge is to provide a pathway for visitors and locals to hike and explore the environs of Bathsheba that would usually be inaccessible due to the rough and rugged terrain.

AG Marshall also expressed his happiness at seeing the work completed to rebuild the link to Bathsheba. He stated that it showed what a little effort could do to bring history back to life.

“It is important to bring locations like this back to life. There is probably no one in this area still alive who would remember seeing trains come over this particular area, but many would know of this footbridge,” he said.

Marshall highlighted the current projects being done in Bathsheba and said he believed that the community could become an alternative food and entertainment site to Oistins for locals and visitors. He also announced that the Government would be looking to break ground in January 2021, for a new Bathsheba community facility.

“My vision is that we will see the entire Bathsheba area come to life again in much the same way perhaps as Oistins and St. Lawrence Gap as a bustling place. I have always felt that we could support small food businesses and other kinds of enterprises in a way that does not completely commercialise it, because people still live there and children still play there. It is important to maintain and protect its beach side beauty while allowing for small businesses to thrive,” said the St. Joseph MP. (AS)