30th July 2024

The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) Roads in collaboration with Fermanagh and Omagh District Council recently upgrades and refurbished the footbridge and retaining walls at Kesh Bridge.

The works included repairs to the river channel retaining wall and replacement of a section of masonry wall with a river channel retaining wall along the southern river bank, repairs to the masonry wall on the northern river bank, repairs to the downstream apron of the Kesh Bridge including measures to help improve the movement of fish and the provision of a short length of new footpath to connect the footbridge to the public footway on the south side.

Now that works are completed, the footbridge and the linked path will be submitted to DfI for adoption and future maintenance.

Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd said:

“I am fully aware of the vital importance of this footbridge not only to the residents of the village of Kesh but also to those visiting the area.  Since the retaining wall was damaged by severe flooding, causing closure of the adjacent bridge, people in the area have faced considerable inconvenience and during this time my Department has been working closely with Fermanagh & Omagh District Council to ensure the necessary repairs were carried out.  I welcome the completion of the works in conjunction with the Council which has allowed us to safely reopen the bridge and put this key piece of infrastructure back into service.”

Speaking about the works, Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor John McClaughry, said:

“The work carried out by the Council (FODC) and DfI Roads to modernise the footbridge to improve access for pedestrians in and around the Kesh village has been a great benefit to all.

The bridge was damaged by severe flooding in December 2015 and, since then, it has remained inaccessible to pedestrians.  This resulted in significant health and safety issues for residents and visitors walking to and from the village.

It is important that the infrastructure in our towns and villages is of a high modern standard to ensure a good quality of life for our residents and to make all areas within our District great places to live, work, visit and invest in.”

The upgrade and modernisation works have been part funded through the Covid Recovery Small Settlement Programme funded by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), Department for Communities (DfC) and Department for Infrastructure (DfI).