The Tribune

The Fresh Creek Bridge is a vital transport link as it provides the only road crossing of Fresh Creek waterway in Central Andros.

On Wednesday, 19 August, 2020 it was reported that a mail boat leaving the Fresh Creek Dock in Andros lost control and struck the Fresh Creek Bridge causing major damage. The ship involved is the Bahamian owned MV New G, a 587 dwt (dead weight tons) ro./ro. vessel which has been operating in the Bahamas since 2015.

The Ministry of Public Works and the Port Department are currently investigating the accident. It is believed that there were strong winds coupled with a high tide at the time of the bridge strike. Due to the size and weight of the ship considerable impact forces would have been exerted on the bridge structure during the incident.

The impact has been assessed by officials of the Ministry of Public Works. There is severe damage to the bridge foundations and thus it is deemed not safe for use by the general public and will be closed to vehicular traffic.

The bridge will remain closed until the necessary repairs are made and the bridge is deemed safe to the public. While the bridge is closed, the government is to run a ferry service for both passengers and vehicles.

The bridge is known to be in a poor condition and the urgent need to construct a replacement has been made one of the priority schemes for the Ministry of Public Works. In March 2020 a contract was signed with a local Bahamian firm, Caribbean Coastal Services, to undertake the Engineering Studies and Design of the replacement of the Fresh Creek Bridge.

The Ministry of Public Works is urgently working in conjunction with Caribbean Coastal Services to finalise a repair solution for the bridge. It is anticipated that the repair works will start in the next few weeks.