Achill Bridge Funding Approved
As reported in Mayo News today. The construction of the new swing bridge is thought to cost in the region of €4.4 million and both the Department of the Environment and the Department of the Gaeltacht pledged to pay 50 per cent of the cost. Mayo County Council gave its backing for the project from the start but were awaiting the sanctioning of funding from both departments before they could start the construction phase of the project.
However, the approval of the funding for 2007 from the Department of the Gaeltacht looks to have taken away any stumbling blocks in the way of commencing the construction of the bridge. Before the election, the former Minister for the Environment, Dick Roche TD announced that he accepted the €4.4 million tender for the replacement of the bridge and also authorised Mayo County Council to accept the tender of SIAC Construction Limited.
The current bridge was built in 1947, replacing the original swing bridge which first connected Achill to the mainland in 1887. The new design of the bridge will have an arch with a causeway and a new turning mechanism.
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