No ‘Plan B’ if Kilrea’s Bann Bridge is closed again

Roads officials have suggested there is no “Plan B” should a second closure of Kilrea’s Bann Bridge ever be required in the near future.

Emergency repairs to the structure that was built in 1783 divided communities, disrupted vital local services and cut off shops from their customers between September and December last year.

The crossing on the B64 was closed when extensive cracking was detected on a retaining wall holding up the south west approach road.

The likelihood of a repeat episode was raised by councillors when official from Stormont’s Department for Infrastructure (DfI) visited Causeway Coast and Glens Council chamber for their annual address on Tuesday.

Local UUP councillor Richard Holmes put it to Divisional Roads Manager Alan Keys that with no alternative crossing for miles in either direction, future inspections should be prioritised.

“With the critical nature of that bridge it should probably be I the top 10 or 20 in the entire country for checks and given its age it should probably be very high amongst that.

He went on to ask: “If there is a catastrophic failure on that bridge, is there a Plan B? Or are we just going to be turning round and telling people this bridge is closed for months or years on down the line.”

Mr Keys explained that “principle inspections” were conducted by a dedicated team every five to seven years.

Further “intermediate inspections” were carried out annually or bi-annually.

But he added masonry arch bridges like Kilrea’s were actually amongst the safest.

“They can take a lot of deflection before anything happens. And you can see before anything catastrophic happens that the bridge is under stress

“The biggest risk he said was of “scarring” and “undermining” of the bridge’s piers by floodwater

“There is particular attention paid to that on those types of bridges but the latest reports said there are no concerns

“We have to ensure those underwater inspections are taking place on a regular basis and if there is any danger of that happening its picked up.”

Turning to Cllr Holmes’ suggestion of a need for a Plan B, Mr Keys said similar arrangements to last time would most likely be implemented.

“If any bridge is closed for any reason we try and get the repairs done as quickly as possible, but it does mean there will be a period of disruption and traffic will have to be diverted.

“Unfortunately it’s magnified with Kilrea because your nearest crossings are quite some distance away.

“But we are not in a position were we have something ready to go if that bridge wasn’t available - that we could have something built very quickly nearby”

Earlier this year elected members agreed to add new bridge proposals to the council's Local Development Plan.

While roads and bridges are not built by councils, Local Development Plans are drawn up by council planners once a decade-or-so to address gaps in provision on matters like housing, industry - and crucially transport infrastructure.

Highlighting a replacement bridge as a regionally significant issue may help persuade Stormont officials to bump it up the priority list.