Dean Fraser‘s latest album, Flat Bridge, released on June 4th of this year via Tad’s Record, has not only blessed us musically; but it has also been instrumental – no pun intended – in highlighting one of Jamaica’s oldest bridges.
Flat Bridge is a stringer overpass across the Rio Cobre on the A1 road in Bog Walk, St. Catherine. For years it has served as a convenient route that connects the capital of Jamaica to the north coast tourist areas like Dunn’s River and Ocho Rios.
Although Flat Bridge is regarded by Jamaicans as one of the island’s landmarks, it has also been haunted by a dark-side: countless accidents and deaths over many decades. Because of the way the bridge is built it does not allow for speeding or overtaking, and sadly drivers tend to forget that. This lapse in memory usually results in tragedy.
Ironically, the reason Dean Fraser‘s album is titled Flat Bridge is because the engineer he was working with while recording the song apparently arrived at the studio late that day because he got stuck at the bridge. It is reported that when he got to the studio he said something to this effect: Bwoy nutten can’t pass Flat Bridge.’
When Fraser‘s album came out and it became known that it was named after one of Jamaica’s landmarks, it inspired many persons to learn more about this bridge and the surrounding areas.
MARIA JACKSON 27 MAGAZINE 