Emergency Repairs Planned Within 30 Days for Addelita Cancryn Pedestrian Bridge

The V.I. Department of Public Works plans to conduct emergency repairs within the next 30 days on the deteriorating pedestrian bridge near the Addelita Cancryn School, following renewed public concern and a report that falling material damaged a passing vehicle. Commissioner Derek Gabriel said Monday that the bridge is believed to remain structurally sound despite its present appearance. DPW will issue an emergency solicitation for another assessment and the removal of deteriorating nonstructural pieces. During the Government House press briefing, Mr. Gabriel said DPW officials and federal partners inspected the bridge approximately two years ago. A preliminary structural assessment “deemed that it was safe and sound,” Mr. Gabriel declared. He said the deteriorating sections identified and removed after that inspection were “really aesthetic pieces or non-structural pieces that were…falling from the bridge,” rather than components essential to the bridge’s structural integrity. Am...