Glenrandal Bridge, Claudy reopens following £420,000 replacement scheme

A £420,000 bridge replacement scheme at Glenrandal Road, Claudy, is nearing completion and reopened to traffic today, Monday 19 October 2020.

Glenrandel bridge is now reopened to traffic

Glenrandal Bridge, Claudy was damaged beyond repair during the North West flooding event in August 2017.  

Welcoming the reopening of the bridge Minister Mallon said:

“It is great to see Glenrandal bridge reopen today following the devastating consequences of the 2017 floods.

“This was a major project for my Department which had to respect the listed nature of the bridge. The work was carried out sensitively with as much as possible of the old bridge stone salvaged and incorporated into the new bridge parapets with the work on site being undertaken with due regard to the local environment.

“I recognise it has been a difficult time for the local community while the bridge has been closed, however, I am sure they will join me in appreciating the final result of this renovation project and look forward to seeing the bridge back in full use.”

The contract to rebuild the bridge was awarded to Highway Barrier Solutions and work to rebuild the bridge commenced in April 2020.  DfI and the contractor were able to agree safe systems of working to allow the work to progress relatively unhindered throughout the Covid-19 restrictions.

The construction of the new bridge presented an opportunity to build a wider structure with improved road safety standards and it also afforded the opportunity to provide a single span structure to improve river flow capacity in an area prone to flooding.    

DfI would like to thank the public and especially the local community, who were directly affected, for their patience and co-operation during the road closure.

Notes to editors: 

1. Glenrandal Bridge was destroyed by the August 2017 flood and was one of five bridges destroyed beyond repair during this flood event.
2. In total 89 bridges were damaged to various degrees by the flooding event.
3. The former Glenrandal Bridge was a listed structure located within an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI). The original bridge, a three span masonry arch, was a listed structure located in a floodplain within a ASSI/SAC over the Glenrandal River, a salmonid tributary of the Faughan system.
4. Securing a design satisfying the requirements of all the regulatory bodies was both challenging and time consuming leading to a longer than normal procurement period.
5. The replacement bridge construction is pre-stressed beams on reinforced concrete abutments.
6. Work commenced on 6 April 2020 and despite the impact of the intervening COVID-19 lockdown period is now substantially complete just a few weeks over the allocated 26 week contract period.
7. All media queries should be directed to the Department for Infrastructure Press Office at: press.office@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk.
8. The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.
9. Follow the Department on Twitter @deptinfra and on Facebook @DepartmentforInfrastructure

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