Effective immediately, operators of heavy duty vehicles who use the Ford in Harbour View will only be allowed to do so for 12 hours per day. The use of the Ford will be restricted to between 5:00 am and 7:00 pm daily. No heavy duty vehicles will therefore be allowed to use the facility, between 7:00pm and 5:00am.
The Ford was built following the collapse of a section of the Dry River River Bridge in Harbour View. The bridge is the main link between Kingston and sections of St. Thomas.
The National Works Agency (NWA) assisted local business interest to create a Ford upstream of the bridge. This was done as the Bailey Bridge erected on top of the existing structure is limited to vehicles weighing less than 10 tonnes.
The trucks have been routed through the dormitory side of the Harbour View community and were expected travel along Fort Nugent Drive and Harbour Drive.
The NWA has however received numerous complaints from the residents regarding the high volume of trucks, noise pollution, as well as speeding through the community at varying hours.
Following discussions with the business interest in the area, the decision has been taken to restrict the use of the Ford.
The NWA is working to strengthen the existing Bailey Bridge, while also supervising the construction of a more suitable Ford close to the existing bridge.
The new Ford is expected to be completed and opened for access by motorists within the next two weeks, while strengthening of the Bailey Bridge is expected to be completed shortly after.
