By Julie Waters
THE campaign to build a bridge across Strangford Lough has gathered pace after Ards and North Down councillors unanimously called on the Infrastructure Minister to carry out a feasibility study.
Alderman Robert Adair led the bid for the local authority to write to Minister Liz Kimmins asking her to prioritise allocating funding for the study for a bridge across the lough from Portaferry to Strangford village.
Just last month, the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) minister told the Assembly that a ‘significant cost’ of around £300m had been earmarked for the bridge and the ‘feasibility of a bridge had been looked at’.
However, she did not rule out carrying out a further feasibility study into the bridge building proposal saying: “When we look at the likes of Narrow Water bridge, however, we see that not all such things remain a pipe dream. If there is good support and a strong economic case for it, why not? I am happy to keep that under review, albeit it is budget dependent.”
Speaking at the council’s recent Place and Prosperity committee, Mr Adair and DUP colleague, councillor Nigel Edmund brought forward a joint notice of motion calling for the feasibility study to be completed by the DfI.
He said the campaign for a Strangford Lough bridge first began back in the 1950s and there was ‘overwhelming support’ from local people and described the Ards peninsula as ‘one of the most cut-off areas’ in the borough.
Mr Adair said the bridge would tackle isolation, boost local businesses, enhance tourism and tackle hospital and ambulance waiting times.
He said the bridge would also help address concerns about increased traffic congestion along the Portaferry Road and roads across the wider peninsula.
Mr Adair highlighted the success of Scotland’s Forth Road bridge and the Queensferry Crossing as well as the Narrow Water Bridge connecting Northern Ireland to the Republic of
Ireland.
Asked the alderman: “These projects aren’t new, they have been done in other areas, why can’t they be done here?”
Calling for a special budget to be allocated to the feasibility study, Mr Adair said: “I want to move the Ards peninsula forward and we need 21st century infrastructure.”
Said Mr Adair: “The services that other people in the borough may take for granted, some people are cut off from. Our infrastructure can’t be left behind. The Ards peninsula deserves some investment.”
Mr Adair continued that the Infrastructure Minister had agreed to carry out the feasibility study if there was the ‘political will’ and urged the committee to send a united message to Stormont.
Ards peninsula councillor Nigel Edmund, said he was ‘carrying on the family tradition’ of campaigning for the bridge as he followed in the footsteps of former councillor and his late uncle Joe Hagan.
He said he believed the bridge would improve local people’s access to ambulance services and proposed that a toll booth at either end of the bridge could help pay for its upkeep. Ulster Unionist councillor Craig Blaney said he was ‘more than happy’ to support the council writing to the Infrastructure Minister to request the feasibility study, as long as the department were paying for the study and not the council.
Independent councillor Tom Brady said it was ‘crazy’ that a bridge was not already in place given the ‘incredibly long drive’ faced by local people when the ferry service
was unavailable.
Each committee decision must first be ratified at a full council meeting at the end of the month.
