The Editor, Sir:

Two days after the passage of Tropical Storm Gustav, St Thomas and a section of St Andrew were still cut off from Kingston.

The million-dollar question is, did the Hope River bridge in Harbour View just cave in overnight or was it being weakened over time?

Sometime ago, this same bridge was in the spotlight for major repairs but this apparently did not take place.

Maintenance

If the Government has in its capital budget an allocation for preventative maintenance for infrastructure, such as bridges, and adheres to it, then the inconvenience suffered by commuters of the Hope River bridge will be averted.

I recently read on the Internet about a bridge in New York that was built over 150 years ago and is suspended for the most part on cables. That bridge is still operational today - all because of an efficient maintenance programme.

What happened in Harbour View can and will be replicated across the island if our leaders remain passive about maintenance.

My suggestion is that the National Works Agency allocates a portion of its budget to do an engineering audit on our more than 250 bridges across the island, and place a certificate of fitness on each bridge audited, certifying that a detailed test was done and that it is fit and proper for use.

I am, etc.,

PATRICK PANTON

patmar@cwjamaica.com