Chaos at Sir Barry Bowen Bridge; traffic regulations for large vehicles not enforced

As construction moves to complete the next half of the Sir Barry Bowen Bridge in the Boca del Rio area, the current one-lane structure continues to experience congestion during the island’s rush hour. An incident on Monday, December 5th, involving a large truck caused great concern and prompted many motorists to question if the truck companies are respecting the traffic regulations for these large vehicles set by the San Pedro Town Council.
Some weeks ago, the SPTC set new traffic regulations for large trucks specifying the time of the day when these large vehicles are not supposed to be on the road. According to that note, no large delivery trucks can operate from 8-9AM and 11:30AM-1:15PM, Monday to Friday. On Saturdays, no large trucks will be allowed after 1PM. Meanwhile, on Sundays and public and bank holidays, no large delivery trucks will be allowed to operate in town.
The bridge incident reportedly occurred just after midday when large trucks should not be operating. According to witnesses, the truck was starting to cross the one-lane bridge when something allegedly happened, and it started reversing down the bridge. Those involved in the incident said a couple of golf carts behind the truck waiting to cross were hit by the large vehicle. Motorists at the bridge said it was a frightening experience, but fortunately, no one was hurt. However, they are not happy with the situation and ask that the restrictions in place be enforced, as it appears the large vehicle operators are not abiding by the regulations set for them. The rules are to alleviate the traffic congestion during the mentioned hours and ensure safety for pedestrians, especially students.
The SPTC reportedly posted three vacancies for three bridge inspectors in response to the incident. Currently, traffic officers have been monitoring the traffic on the bridge. The congestion on the one-lane Sir Barry Bowen Bridge is expected to improve whenever the other half is complete. The time estimated as per the SPTC is around February 2023.