A train heading for the Barrack Street freight yard when trains used to go under the Hill Street Bridge
The debate over whether or not to knock the Hill Street bridge has been reignited.
Dundalk Town Council were given the green light to demolish the bridge in 2007 but were waiting for work on the new Tesco development at the old Dundalk Shopping Centre site before proceeding – with the supermarket retailer set to contribute towards the cost and the council co-funding the project.
Those plans are believed to now be up in the air as a result of the changed economic conditions over the course of the last seven years.
Now the council are set to ask their planners to review the original designs to see whether they address the needs of motorists, pedestrians and cyclists in terms of the future development of the town.
Speaking on LMFM this morning though, Cllr Martin Bellew, said he was disappointed that work had not proceeded and insisted he would be raising the matter at the next Town Council meeting to get an update on where things stand at present.
“I understood that as soon as the Tesco job was in operation, work would start on the bridge too but as far as I can see we are no further on.
“I’m disappointed this hasn’t happened and I will be pursuing it at the next meeting,” said Cllr Bellew.
There has been much speculation regarding the future of the the Hill Street bridge for several decades but particularly since the Barrack Street freight yard closed in 1995.
Hill Street Bridge, heading towards Stapleton Place, in years gone by. The bridge is believed to have been built over 150 years ago
