‘Let’s unite town’ with main road footbridge
A FOOTBRIDGE across the Inner Relief Road in Sligo town – which, it has been said, would “reconnect the town”, is under consideration. The bridge would be between the junction of the main road with John Street and Church Hill and the Summerhill roundabout. It would span the two carriageways of the main road from Flynn’s Terrace (at the side of the Gillooly Hall) over to the grounds of St Michael’s Family
Life Centre. The new footbridge has been suggested as a safer alternative for pedestrians and cyclists than the present crossings which can be difficult for older people and children
to negotiate because of the width of the road and the traffic coming from different directions.
The proposal has been referred by Transport Minister Eamon Ryan to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), the body responsible for all national roads, and Sligo County Council has said that it will be engaging with TII in relation to the possiblity of a footbridge being put in place.
The idea of a bridge has been put forward by Bernard Mulhern, principal of St John’s national school on Temple Street.
This week he told the Sligo Weekender that he had put forward the proposal from a safety perspective.
He said: “We have up on 300 children attending St John’s and there are around 1,100 students at Summerhill College with many coming from the west side of town.
“There are also a lot of older people coming from that side of town to the Cathedral and the town centre.”
He also referred to the major development being proposed by Sligo Rovers at the Showgrounds and the planned expansion of Kingsbridge Hospital on the western side of the road.
“Traffic there is extremely busy and it can take up to five minutes to cross the main road with all the lights and roads and a lot of people find it difficult. “Thankfully there has not been a fatality there but there is a real risk, especially with the numbers of students crossing when school finishes in the afternoon.
“From a safety point of view prevention is better than cure.”
He said that the Inner Relief Road was badly needed to deal with traffic going through the town but “it cut off the west side of town from the rest of the town”
“There is a big population on that side of town and in hindsight it was a mistake that there is not even one footbridge across the road.
“I think a bridge would reconnect the town.”
He also believes it would also encourage more people to walk or cycle into town rather than take their cars thus reducing the carbon footprint.
Bernard, who played a major part in the successful campaign by the N4 Action Group to have that road upgraded, has taken his idea to people who can help make it a reality.
He has spoken to the only landowner, the Bishop of Elphin Kevin Doran, who has given his blessing to the project and the use of part of the grounds of St Michael’s Family Life centre. “There is no other property involved because on the other side the bridge would be on to the public footpath at Flynn’s Terrace,” Bernard said.
That is also seen as a major plus for the project by the acting chief executive of Sligo County Council Tom Kilfeather, with whom Bernard has also being in contact.
Yesterday, Wednesday, Mr Kilfeather told the Sligo Weekender that the council would be engaging with Transport Infrastructure Ireland in relation to the possibility of a footbridge being provided.
He said: “The council recognises that there is a significant number of students having to traverse the Inner Relief Road and the government is encouraging the provision of safe routes to school so hopefully consideration will be given to funding to develop a scheme like this.”
He said the council also recognised that the landowner “is well disposed towards the project”.
Bernard has also been in contact with Transport Minister Eamon Ryan who was favourably disposed towards the idea and had referred to TII for consideration.
Bernard said that a footbridge has “so many advantages” and he believes that if “everyone works together” the bridge will become a reality.