No end in sight for disruption after bridge collapse

Gerry White sits at his kitchen table, he has short grey hair and is wearing a blue quarter-ziip top with maroon detailing on the inside of the collar. Behind him are brown wood kitchen cabinets and items including a radio, block of knives and bread basket on top of the kitchen counters.

Gerry White said the diversion means an extra 70 miles travelling per week to take his grandchildren to playschool

Luke Sproule
Mid Ulster reporter, BBC News NI

Lengthy diversions caused by a collapsed bridge in mid-Ulster are causing serious disruption to everyday life, local people have said.

There is no end in sight and, with a date yet to be set for repair work to begin, the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) said it was "working at pace" to sort the problem.

The bridge that crosses the River Blackwater, linking south Tyrone and north Armagh, partially collapsed on 2 October during heavy rain the day before Storm Amy hit Northern Ireland.

It links Benburb with Tullysaran, but what used to be a five-minute journey can now take up to 15 minutes.

A wide shot of the Maydown Road bridge - in the foreground and to the right of the shot are a row of traffic cones cordoning off the collapsed section. To the left is the collapse - the concrete road surface has given way as has an old stone wall. Dirt, rocky debris and exposed cables can be seen. To the left of that is a row of trees.

The bridge collapsed at the start of October

Gerry White, who lives on the Tullysaran side of the bridge, said it was causing him a lot of hassle.

He takes his grandchildren to the playschool in Benburb and also uses the shop in the village.

"It's about 70 miles extra in the week," he said, adding that the price of diesel was an extra burden.

He said the diversion route was not as easy to travel along.

"They're narrow roads, and you have to pull in to the gateway of a house or something like that," he said.

"Or if you've been around them corners, the hedges are not cut, and the next thing, you're nearly into them, or somebody's coming flying.

"You meet lorries, buses, everything on that road."

A map showing the area of Benburb and Tullysarran. In red the short road closure over the bridge is marked. In yellow a much longer route shows the diversion between Tullysaran and Benburb, heading south and then looping to the east through Blackwater town before coming back west to Benburb.

The diversion route takes people through Blackwatertown

Business owner Dónal McAnallen said people should not be deceived by the small size of the bridge.

"The road is a significant route between Benburb and Armagh, it carries a huge volume of traffic daily between the two places and the community of Tullysaran.

"That covers people going to work, going to school, church, whatever and there's a large number of people severely disrupted by it."

Mr McAnallen said the shop had felt the impact of the closure.

"I can attest already that there's been a drop in turnover by 15-20% and the fear would be that when you see other bridges that have lain untouched after damage, that if this goes on for weeks and months that it could do significant financial damage to local businesses.

"It's imperative that the authorities treat this as a matter of urgency."

Dónal McAnallen has short brown hair and is wearing a maroon quarter-zip over the top of a white shirt. In the blurred background is a shopfront with sandstone brick and windows with advertising for strawberries and blueberries.

Dónal McAnallen said the situation needs to be sorted sooner rather than later

Another business owner who has been affected is Colleen Mullan, who runs a hair salon in Benburb.

She said her older customers, in particular, were facing a tricky time.

"They're familiar with the road here, some of them have had to seek lifts to get here because the road that they would be travelling on isn't of good quality.

"They have to take a detour that in many instances is quite a bit out of their way.

"It's taken them around narrow country roads that are now congested."

Ms Mullan explained that appointment times are being missed because of the diversions, which pushes her timetable back.

Colleen Mullan stands in her hair salon, she has blonde hair puled back and is wearing a black hoodie. Behind her to the left of the image is a gold-framed mirror in which a large black blow-dryer can be seen.

Colleen Mullan said her older customers are particularly affected

The DfI said it was "working at pace to assess the damage and carry out repairs".

"We fully appreciate the impact of the closure and apologise to the local community, including businesses in the area, and all road users for the inconvenience caused," a spokesperson said.

"Local diversions are in place, and we urge the travelling public to follow the signage, drive with due care and attention and allow extra time for their journeys."

A wide shot of the bridge. At the front of the photo is a large red sign with white writing on it saying "Road closed". To each side of that is a row of traffic cones and behind it are three red and white plastic barriers, with large concrete blocks behind them. The damaged bridge can be seen in the distance. Dónal McAnallen stands to the right of the image in a maroon quarter-zip top and navy chinos. He has his left hand in his trouser pocket.

Large concrete blocks have now been placed on the road to stop anyone driving along it

Sinn Féin assembly member Colm Gildernew said he is continuing to engage with the relevant authorities over the road closure.

"The closure of this route and the subsequent diversion in place is having a serious impact on our local community and businesses," the Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA said.

"I am continuing to stay in contact with the relevant authorities and am pressing for repair works to begin as soon as possible.

"This is a vital road connecting south Tyrone with north Armagh and I'll continue to work with the local community and businesses to ensure it is reopened."

Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) councillor Karol McQuade said getting work completed soon was crucial.

"People want to know, when will it be sorted and how quickly can they get it sorted before it gets worse," he said.

"The Benburb businesses have been really, really affected, a lot of people in the Tullysaran area would travel to Benburb to use the shop, to use the hairdressers, even Benburb Priory for recreational use or just to clear your head.

"Overall it's just a disruption that we don't need and we would hope that the Department for Infrastructure would try to get the matter resolved as quickly as possible."

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