HOPES that a damaged footbridge in Kesh will be repaired have been dashed after the Infrastructure Minister has said his department “has no responsibility” for the bridge, which has been closed for 14 months due to flooding.
The bridge has remained out of bounds and awaiting repair since Storm Desmond caused extensive flooding damage across the county in December 2015. An adjoining carpark is also still closed after the PSNI deemed the area unsafe following the torrential rain and strong winds.
One year on, Kesh Development Association held a public meeting last December to discuss the damaged pedestrian bridge and adjacent retaining wall when it was decided that Fermanagh and Omagh District Council should be approached to assist. The Council wrote to Mr Hazzard in January pointing out safety concerns raised by the people of Kesh and requesting that officials from his Department visit the site to consider undertaking remedial measures.
Local DUP Cllr David Mahon has said the closure of the bridge is causing “a massive safety issue for the people of Kesh”. He also previously accused the Minister and his department of “not wanting to take responsibility” and had requested that the Council write a letter, pointing out the safety concerns raised by local people.
Responding to that letter, Mr Hazzard said: “My officials have consistently advised that my Department has no responsibility for either structure. Given this position, I could not justify authorising repair work or allocating funding to carry out remedial works at this location.”
Mr Hazzard pointed out that at time of the footbridge’s construction in 1999, Transport NI (then Roads Service) had agreed to adopt it, provided a number of conditions were met.
“These conditions related to obtaining Planning and Technical Approval for the structure as well as provision of link footways and approval from landowners. Regrettably the promoters of the footbridge did not meet these conditions and therefore adoption of the structure and associated footways did not take place,” he added.
The matter was due to be discussed at last night’s (Tuesday) monthly meeting of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council in Enniskillen.
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