Buncrana bridge barriers to be removed during five-day closure
Temporary barriers will be removed during the five-day closure, but the controversial one-way traffic system will remain in place
Buncrana's Mill Bridge will close for five days in September to allow for the removal of the controversial water-filled barriers and the completion of bridge strengthening and pedestrian safety works.
The Gransha Road Junction to the Millbrae Junction, over Mill River Bridge, will be closed from Monday, September 14, to Friday, September 18, to facilitate the works.
During the closure, the temporary water-filled barriers will be removed and replaced with permanent infrastructure, including a concrete footpath extension and a 200mm rubbing strip along the bridge wall to help protect the structure.
While the barriers are being removed, the current one-way traffic management system on the bridge will remain in place.;;
The temporary barriers and one-way traffic system were introduced by Donegal County Council last year as a low-cost measure to improve pedestrian safety. While the changes have provided greater protection for pedestrians, they have also been the source of ongoing frustration for motorists.
South Inishowen Councillor Fionán Bradley has welcomed the removal of the barriers but said the long-term solution remains the construction of a dedicated pedestrian footbridge.
"From the very outset, I have been totally against the temporary measures that are there. They're not working," he said.
He said councillors and An Garda Síochána had consistently raised safety concerns about the bridge before the temporary measures were introduced.
The Fianna Fail councillor added that the removal of the barriers was a positive step, but he remained concerned that the permanent one-way traffic arrangement would continue.
"That obviously means it becomes a stop-go system, or a yield system, on a more permanent footing, which is madness considering it goes right into the industrial and commercial heart of Buncrana where we have two supermarkets, the Garda Station, the Intreo office, countless other businesses and a fairly sizeable residential area."
He described the removal of the barriers as "a silver lining” but said the underlying traffic issues and safety concerns for pedestrians would remain.
"The barriers will go permanently forever, never to come back. But the yield system that's in place, where traffic can only flow in one direction over the bridge at any one time, will then be permanent until whatever time we get the footbridge."
The Buncrana councillor intends to press Donegal County Council to progress a standalone pedestrian bridge rather than wait for funding for the wider Inner Relief Road project, which the council had previously indicated as its preferred approach.
"I had said I couldn't accept that idea because the Mill Bridge is urgent and we can't wait for the rest of the money for the Inner Relief Road. We need to do that bit now."
Mr Bradley also reiterated his opposition to making the current or planned traffic arrangements permanent as he would rather start from scratch.
"I can't be any clearer that I'm totally opposed to that. I told the council I'm opposed to it, and I just wanted the barriers taken away and go back to the drawing board and think of something else."
In the meantime, Councillor Bradley has urged motorists to remain patient when using the bridge.
"The way it is at the moment, it's not safe. Motorists are taking chances. A lot of it is down to driver behaviour, but if everybody just had a little bit more patience, we mightn't have any of the problems that we have."