Flat Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Flat Bridge is a beam bridge
across the Rio Cobre
on the A1 road connecting the Jamaican capital Kingston
, with the north coast tourist areas of Dunn's River
and Ocho Rios. It is one of the oldest bridges in Jamaica.
When the bridge was being constructed, the sixteen plantations in the Bog Walk
area were obliged to send one slave in every fifty to work on the River Road, sometimes called Sixteen Mile Walk. Gravel, marl, lime, sand and stone had to be dug. Slaves often lost their lives as they performed dangerous tasks in the Gorge. Contracts for timber and for masons to work on the bridge were authorized at vestry meetings.
Between 1881 and 1915, the floor of the bridge was washed away and later re-floored with iron girders and buckle plates taken from the original flooring of the May Pen bridge. Today, the bridge of three spans is supported by two piers and two abutments. In the 1930s it had metal handrails and later wooden ones, but these were devoured by the river at different times. Hemispheres of stone are now the only protection on the bridge itself.
The bridge is often flooded after heavy rains. In such times, motorists are advised to take alternative routes through Barry and Sligoville.
Beam bridge
Beam bridges are the most simple of structural forms being supported by an abutment at each end of the deck. No moments are transferred through the support hence their structural type is known as simply supported....
across the Rio Cobre
Rio Cobre
The Rio Cobre is a river of Jamaica. Its source is unclear on the best map available, the headwaters being a writhing of unnamed, seasonally dry tributaries. The highest of these rise just above the contour...
on the A1 road connecting the Jamaican capital Kingston
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, with the north coast tourist areas of Dunn's River
Dunn's River Falls
Dunn's River Falls is a famous waterfall near Ocho Rios, Jamaica and a major Caribbean tourist attraction that attracts thousands of visitors each year.About high, the waterfalls are terraced like giant stair steps of which some are man-made improvements...
and Ocho Rios. It is one of the oldest bridges in Jamaica.
History
While it cannot be positively ascertained when this bridge was built, it was definitely constructed after 1724. Edward Long describes it in his History of Jamaica printed in 1774:When the bridge was being constructed, the sixteen plantations in the Bog Walk
Bog Walk
Bog Walk is a town in the parish of Saint Catherine, Jamaica...
area were obliged to send one slave in every fifty to work on the River Road, sometimes called Sixteen Mile Walk. Gravel, marl, lime, sand and stone had to be dug. Slaves often lost their lives as they performed dangerous tasks in the Gorge. Contracts for timber and for masons to work on the bridge were authorized at vestry meetings.
Between 1881 and 1915, the floor of the bridge was washed away and later re-floored with iron girders and buckle plates taken from the original flooring of the May Pen bridge. Today, the bridge of three spans is supported by two piers and two abutments. In the 1930s it had metal handrails and later wooden ones, but these were devoured by the river at different times. Hemispheres of stone are now the only protection on the bridge itself.
Traffic
Flat Bridge is a part of the busy A1 road and carries a single lane so traffic is managed by traffic lights.The bridge is often flooded after heavy rains. In such times, motorists are advised to take alternative routes through Barry and Sligoville.