Work is underway at Johnston Bridge RMGFH77
IT looks set to be a very unhappy New Year for commuters and businesses in Enniskillen, with road works set to return to Johnston Bridge in the coming months.
There are strong fears the mayhem of last summer, when long delays were caused by work on Johnston Bridge , will return in the new year after it emerged the Department for Regional Development (DRD) was considering plans to complete the remaining work on the bridge in early 2016.
The £500,000 improvement works had initially been intended to take place on both the north and south bridges, beginning in June and lasting until October. However, at the end of July, Transport NI suspended works on the southern bridge until a later date. Work on the north bridge resulted in lengthy tail backs on the Irvinestown and Tempo Roads, while local businesses were also damaged by the road works, with some losing up to a third of their trade as a result.
At a recent meeting of the Enniskillen Business Partnership members asked that work on Johnston Bridge begin by February, on the condition the work is carried out at night and that two way traffic is maintained for the duration.
Ronan Reilly of Reilly’s Electricals, who said his turnover had plummeted by over 30 per cent during the duration of the road works, said he put little faith in assurances from Transport NI that the upcoming work would be managed in a way that would minimise the impact on traffic.
“What is done is done to minimal costing, and minimal costing means work being done during the day,” he said.
“It’s another case of the public sector running rough shod over the private sector to keep costs down. The work should be done at night, and during school holidays, and the road should be opened during the day.”
Transport NI said they were currently considering “engineering practicalities” such as weather conditions and daylight hours during February to “ensure work is carried out effectively, safely and as quickly as possible.”
Adding all work was subject to available funding, they were they also considering night-time work.
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