Foyle Bridge
Encyclopedia
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
in Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. The central cantilever span of the bridge is the longest in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
at 234 metres (767 ft), and the whole suspended bridge structure including the approach spans is also the longest in Ireland at 866 metres (2839 ft).
It crosses the River Foyle
River Foyle
The River Foyle is a river in west Ulster in the northwest of Ireland, which flows from the confluence of the rivers Finn and Mourne at the towns of Lifford in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland, and Strabane in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. From here it flows to the City of Derry, where it...
to the north of the city, and forms only the second of three bridges linking the city centre to the Waterside
Waterside, Derry
The Waterside is an urban neighbourhood on the east side of the River Foyle opposite the Cityside of Derry, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Traditionally, the Waterside ends at the Caw roundabout near the Foyle Bridge...
, the others being the Craigavon Bridge
Craigavon Bridge
The Craigavon Bridge is one of three bridges in Derry, Northern Ireland. It crosses the River Foyle further south than the Foyle Bridge and Peace Bridge. It is one of only a few double-decker road bridges in Europe. It was named after Lord Craigavon, the first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland.The...
and the Peace Bridge
Peace Bridge (Foyle)
The Peace Bridge is a cycle and footbridge bridge across the River Foyle in Derry, Northern Ireland, which opened on 25 June 2011. It is the newest of three bridges in the city, the others being the Craigavon Bridge and the Foyle Bridge. It was opened to the public by EU Commissioner for Regional...
walkway. Work on the bridge began in 1980 and it opened in October 1984. The seven approach spans on the east bank are of prestressed concrete box construction. The three main river spans are of steel box
construction and were built by Harland and Wolff
Harland and Wolff
Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries is a Northern Irish heavy industrial company, specialising in shipbuilding and offshore construction, located in Belfast, Northern Ireland....
shipyard in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
in 6
segments, weighed up to 900 tonnes each, and then transported by barge and ocean going tug to site were they were lifted into position. Between 2003 and 2005 the bridge underwent strengthening, resurfacing and other improvements, leading to widespread traffic disruption in the city. Total cost of the refurbishment work was £10.6 million. The road was built to four-lane dual carriageway
Dual carriageway
A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...
standard, and carries the A515
A515 road (Northern Ireland)
The A515 Skeoge Link is road which was designed to complete the route between Foyle Bridge and Donegal. It is part of a larger project to link Donegal with Belfast. The total construction cost was £5 million.-Construction:...
. By 2004 more than 30,000 vehicles used the bridge every day.
The bridge was built for the Roads Service of Northern Ireland by RDL-Graham Joint
Venture, with the consulting engineers being Ove Arup
Arup
Arup is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom which provides engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of the built environment. The firm is present in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, East Asia, Europe and the...
and Partners. The value of the four year construction contract was £15,765,000. It was the first bridge in Ireland to be built according to a ‘Design and Construct’ system, whereby the same firm designed and constructed the bridge.
Incidents and accidents
In January 2005 during a storm, a lorry was blown off the bridge and its driver, Peter McGuinness, killed. An investigation was launched since the storm had not been unusually severe, and it was concluded that a freak gust had contributed to the accident. However, due to the danger from cross winds, the bridge is now closed to traffic when the weather is particularly windy. WindsockWindsock
A windsock is a conical textile tube designed to indicate wind direction and relative wind speed. Windsocks typically are used at airports and at chemical plants where there is risk of gaseous leakage...
s and warning signs are in place at each end to alert the drivers of HGV
Large Goods Vehicle
A large goods vehicle , is the European Union term for any truck with a gross combination mass of over...
s.
Following a review a new bridge management system has been put in place. When wind speeds reach the first trigger level of 30 mph, signs on the bridge will display an advisory speed limit of 30 mph. If they increase to the second trigger level of 40 mph, signs on the bridge approaches will direct high-sided vehicles to use the Craigavon Bridge
Craigavon Bridge
The Craigavon Bridge is one of three bridges in Derry, Northern Ireland. It crosses the River Foyle further south than the Foyle Bridge and Peace Bridge. It is one of only a few double-decker road bridges in Europe. It was named after Lord Craigavon, the first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland.The...
. When the wind speed exceeds 50 mph the Foyle Bridge will be closed to all vehicles. The new system, costing £800,000, has the capacity of automatically receiving information from the wind monitoring equipment on the bridge and displaying appropriate warnings and instructions on variable message signs in the city and on the approaches.
History
The bridge crosses the Foyle at Madam's Bank, which is the same site as King James IIJames II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
's army chose to place their boom barrier during the Siege of Derry
Siege of Derry
The Siege of Derry took place in Ireland from 18 April to 28 July 1689, during the Williamite War in Ireland. The city, a Williamite stronghold, was besieged by a Jacobite army until it was relieved by Royal Navy ships...
in 1688-1689. It is the third bridge across the River Foyle to be officially named 'Foyle Bridge'. The oldest Foyle Bridge still in existence, an iron railway bridge that crossed the Foyle near Porthall
Porthall
Porthall is a village in County Donegal, Ireland. The village is located on the west bank of the River Foyle, in The Laggan district of East Donegal, on the R236 regional road. Its nearest town is Lifford....
, a village just north of Lifford
Lifford
Lifford is the county town of County Donegal, Ireland. It is the administrative capital of the county and the seat of Donegal County Council, although the town of Letterkenny is often mistaken for fulfilling this role...
, carried the Great Northern Railway (Ireland)
Great Northern Railway (Ireland)
The Great Northern Railway was an Irish gauge railway company in Ireland.The Great Northern was formed in 1876 by a merger of the Irish North Western Railway , Northern Railway of Ireland, and Ulster Railway. The Ulster Railway was the GNRI's oldest constituent, having opened between Belfast and...
(the G.N.R.) line from Strabane
Strabane
Strabane , historically spelt Straban,is a town in west County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It contains the headquarters of Strabane District Council....
and through The Laggan district in East Donegal. This railway line, which ran via St. Johnston
St Johnston
St Johnston is a village in County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland. The village is located on the west bank of the River Foyle, in The Laggan district of East Donegal, on the R236 regional road.-See also:* St Johnston Cricket Club...
, had its terminus at Foyle Road in Derry. Parts of this bridge still stand. The other bridge with this name is better known as Lifford Bridge
Lifford Bridge
Lifford Bridge is a cross-border bridge on the N15 - A38 road, spanning the River Foyle which marks the border between Strabane in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, and Lifford in County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland....
, a 1960s structure that was officially named 'Foyle Bridge' when it opened. Lifford Bridge is a concrete road bridge between Lifford and Strabane.