Concerns over Derry's 'swaying' Peace Bridge

A government department is refusing to take on responsibility for the upkeep of Derry’s iconic Peace Bridge over claims that it ‘sways’ when crowded. Transport NI has raised concerns about the movement of the bridge when a lot of people are crossing it at the same time. As a result, the government department is refusing to ‘adopt’ the bridge which means that it would then take on the job of looking áfter the upkeep and maintenance of the structure. The delay in getting this issue sorted is so serious that fears have been expressed that the funding body which put up the £14m required to build the bridge may try to ‘take back’ some of this money if the problem is not sorted out. The Peace Bridge has become one of Derry’s best known landmarks since it was opened in June 2010. Since its opening the bridge has been crossed an estimated 4.5 million times. The river crossing acts as a gateway to the redeveloped Ebrington Square and onwards in to St Columb’s Park. It has won a host of major design awards, including most recently the Academy of Urbanism’s Great Place Award in conjunction with Ebrington Square. The £14,677,823 which it cost to build the Peace Bridge came from the European Union’s PEACE III Programme which was managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) which has an office in Belfast. This funding represented a contribution from the European Regional Development Fund, the Northern Ireland Executive and from the Irish Government. While the money for the bridge came from the European Union, its construction was managed by Derry’s regeneration company, Ilex. It was set up in 2003 by the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister to oversee the redevelopment of two former military bases in Derry at Fort George and Ebrington Square. However, after the money was secured for the Peace Bridge, Ilex was also asked to oversee this project. The construction of the bridge went to plan and it opened to great fanfare on June 25, 2010. There is no doubt that the Peace Bridge has had a transformative impact on Derry. It is used by thousands of people every day and has played a central role in so many events in the city in recent years, including a number of major events during Derry’s year as City of Culture in 2013. However, it was during one of these 2013 events that concern were first raised about the movement of the bridge when it is crowded. The Lumiere festival was held in Derry in November 2013. It featured a large number of light and video displays around the city. One of the most popular displays was a massive show on the façade of a building at Ebrington Square. Huge crowds flocked to watch the show each evening. However, it has now emerged Transport NI had highlighted a concern over the Peace Bridge’s movement during one of the busy periods during the Lumiere festival. Transport NI confirmed it had not yet adopted the bridge but said it was committed to adopting the river crossing. A spokesperson said: “Work is ongoing to seek to resolve the outstanding matters, the main issue relating to the management of crowd events on the bridge. “Once resolved it is expected that adoption will then formally take place,” the Transport NI spokesperson added. A spokesperson for ILEX said that as a suspension bridge, the Peace Bridge had been designed to allow for an ‘element of movement’. The spokesperson said until the bridge was adopted by Transport NI, their facilities manager would remain responsible for the upkeep of the bridge. Photo: Michael Cooper.