Mayo pedestrian bridge could reopen in May

Mayo County Council is hopeful that the pedestrian Salmon Weir Bridge in Ballina will reopen to the public sometime in May.

At the February monthly meeting of Ballina Municipal District, councillors were told that the work required has been agreed but the start date depends on a number of factors, such as Covid regulations and water levels on the River Moy.

Declan Turnbull, head of Ballina MD, expalined that parts of the bridge, which has been closed since last summer, were sent to the UK for analysis and, following that, the work to be carried out has been agreed.

However, he added, it will take some time as the materials have to be sourced, and they aren't off-the-shelf items, and then the work has to be carried out when conditions allow.

Mr. Turnbull said his 'best estimate' was that the work would be done in May, but whether early May or late May he couldn't say for sure.

He also revealed that the full cost of the repair works isn't yet known but the bill could run to €100,000 or even more. The council, said Mr. Turnbull, is looking at what insurance or guarantee was in place, and examining the original contract to see who's liability it is.

“Hopefully we won't have to bear the cost but we don't know the answer to that yet,” he stated.

The matter was raised at the meeting by Councillor Seamus Weir, cathaoirleach of Ballina MD.