'Bridge collapse has left our rural village isolated'

Seven months after a bridge linking a rural village to nearby communities collapsed, residents say they are feeling "isolated and overlooked" by repeated delays to repair the route.

The Maydown Road, on the outskirts of Benburb in Northern Ireland, crosses the River Blackwater, linking south Tyrone and north Armagh.

A retaining wall on the approach to the bridge partially collapsed on 2 October last year during heavy rain the day before Storm Amy hit Northern Ireland.

Pauline McAnallen who owns a shop in village, said she has "experienced a significant downturn in business".

"There's no doubt the bridge is having a big impact, and it's actually contributed to some businesses closing" she said.

"We're all just feeling overlooked in this area, we never imagined we'd still be in this situation seven months later.

"To make matters worse the communication from the Department for Infrastructure has been limited and infrequent."

The community in Benburb have previously raised concerns about how long bridge repairs were taking.

The Stormont department responsible for fixing it said it would be completed by mid-April.

That deadline has now been missed, and Department for Infrastructure (DfI) said it expected the works to be completed by the end of May.

In a statement, it "apologises to the local community, businesses in the area, and all road users for the inconvenience caused".

DfI said: "Unfortunately there have been further delays to the repairs of the collapsed retaining wall on the Maydown Road due to poor weather, resourcing issues, and the extension of the programme into the easter holidays."

The bridge provided a crucial link between Benburb in County Tyrone and Tullysaran in County Armagh.

With the bridge collapse, what used to be a journey of around five minutes can now take up to 20 minutes or longer depending on traffic.

It has had an impact on parents and staff at Our Lady's Primary School in Tullysaran.

Justin Toner is principal at the school.

"Clearly it's a very rural area here and without the bridge connecting our communities, it's having an acute impact on school life particularly our commuter families," he said.

He added: "We now have young children having to leave the Benburb area 25 minutes earlier, a commute that should be taking 10 minutes is now taking up to 25 minutes.

"So children are arriving already tired and that impacts on their focus throughout the school day, never mind the added stress it put on parents who are working but doing a couple of pick-ups a day."

While the bridge is closed, there are diversions in place, but locals say these roads are in very poor condition.

James Kane is the chairperson of the O'Neill Country Historical Society who run a museum out of Benburb Priory.

He said: "There has definitely been a noticeable drop-off in footfall here, and it's impacted the travel arrangements of our volunteers who are essential in keeping his place running.

"The reality is the alternative routes are covered in potholes and in bad condition, I've had my own car damaged recently, so it makes it difficult to reach the village."

Stefan Birch runs an art studio and gallery out of Benburb priory.

He said: "Things are definitely much quieter, and when I do get speaking to customers they are just constantly complaining about how hard it is to get here at the minute.

"Unfortunately, the bridge collapse does seem to be putting people off coming to the village, I was hoping it would be fixed be now, it is taking a long time."

The Maydown Bridge is known for its historical significance.

It was built near the site of the 1646 Battle of Benburb, with a 19th-century gate lodge still located on its north side.

There have also been historical concerns raised about the structural integrity of the bridge.

BBC News NI has seen a letter from a Department of the Environment official from November 1978, regarding Maydown Bridge.

It outlines how the structure was "fabricated from soft limestone quarried locally" that had "weathered pretty severely".

It further outlines that an "examination from the banks shows the possibility of a crack in one of the arches" and that it was possible that "one of the piers could be undermined and collapse in which case the bridge would have to be replaced with a more modern structure".

The letter concludes that "every effort will be made to maintain the structure in a condition fit for use but the time may well come when it will be impossible or uneconomic to do so".

In a statement, DfI said Storm Amy caused damage to a "retaining wall on the approach to Maydown Bridge but that "the bridge itself was unaffected".

DfI also stated the Maydown Bridge was inspected in line with the national standards to ensure that the bridge remains safe for public use.

A spokesperson added: "The department is working closely with the term contractor and a number of utility providers whose plant was affected by the collapse of the retaining wall to facilitate their reinstatement in the road prior to reopening. The works are now programmed for completion in May."

There have been a number of ongoing bridge replacement and repair schemes in Northern Ireland in recent months.

In February, the Kilrea Bridge was reopened in County Londonderry after extensive cracking was discovered in its retaining wall.

Last week, DfI also announced the early completion of a new Creenagh Bridge in Coalisland, County Tyrone.