We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
A DONEGAL FAMILY have said they are still ‘in limbo’ two months after flooding caused severe damage to a bridge that links their home to the main road.
The family says a recent medical emergency has highlighted the need to restore vehicular access via the bridge.
Heavy rain in late August led to flooding of the Clady river in Gweedore. The bridge, which connects three homes to the main road, suffered severe damage, cutting those homes off for a period of time.
Although the bridge is not a council bridge, the local authority installed a temporary footbridge to restore access, but residents of the homes – who are all part of the same family – have not been able to get vehicles in or out over the path.
Last night an ambulance crew had to wheel the eldest resident, a man in his 70s, almost 200 metres to the emergency vehicle because they could not drive it over the bridge and directly to his home.
“He’s okay, but he had to go get checked out,” he son Seán Ó Duibhir told TheJournal.ie.
Luckily we had other family and friends to give the two ambulance crew a hand and give them a bit of lighting. It’s not a massive walk, but it’s still not the most comfortable on a stretcher and in a major emergency what happened last night probably wouldn’t be good enough.
He said the family has been told very little about when – or even if – the bridge will be fully repaired.
“Everyone has been coming and going with it, saying unfortunately there’s no funding. When it first happened we thought someone would do something but then it slowly fizzled out. No one has come back with a full on ‘no’ but it seems it is just being forgotten about,” he said.
Donegal County Council told TheJournal.ie that its staff provided a temporary footbridge to span the section damaged in the floor after the flooding.
“Public representatives in the area have been liaising with the family, with the council and with the Office of Public Works to assess the scale of damage to the structure and to follow-up on options to restore vehicular access,” they added.
Ó Duibhir said the council told him the cost of repairing the bridge could reach €800,000.
“It’s absolutely ridiculous, we’ve not a hope of ever being able to cover that ourselves.”
He said staff from the OPW have been to the site a number of times in the past to assess the bridge as flooding has been a problem for a number of years.
“The bridge has been flooding for seven or eight years, it used to wash the road away and I’d fix away at it. If they had cleaned the river of the debris or widened the river, it’s possible we wouldn’t have this problem.
“Our neighbours had raised it with them previously , they live on the other side of the bridge and one time the water got very high and nearly went into the houses.”
Local councillor Micheál Macgiollaeasbuig said he believes the delay in repairing the bridge is “a class issue”.
“A number of weeks ago floods affected businesses and some residential homes in Donegal town and the government acted immediately and rightly so, but yet have stayed silent on the damage caused by floods at this bridge in Gaoth Dobhair,” he said.
“This is totally immoral and unacceptable and I ask the government to step in immediately and do the right thing by this man, his family and neighbours.”
Donegal County Council said its discussions with the OPW in relation to the bridge are “ongoing”.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
So do the residents own the bridge? If they do, tough luck, if it’s not owned by the OPW it’s the state/council so it’s up to them. Must be a huge bridge to cost almost €1m
@Peter Brophy: I imagine the council are dragging their feet because its not theirs and not their responsibility. If that is the case then they are correct to protect our money. I feel for the family here too but they may be better off doing some of their own repairs at third stage
@Peter Brophy: when it comes to infrastructure like bridges, 1M doesn’t get much
Couple of rsj’s, few precast panels and 3 loads of concrete. Job done.
@Vote4Pedro: I’ve seen 18 tonne armoured vehicles cross bridges in Africa made from significantly less.
Why exactly should the taxpayer cover the cost of something that is not public property? It’s hard enough to get a pothole fixed on a public road,
Ah build a bridge and get over it ffs
Looks like a private lane. I’d say they may do it privately. An old steel flatbed artic trailer across it would work. I’ve seen it done and farmers driving across with 20 ton loads around here. Would cost around €10k to buy trailer and hire crane and diggers etc to put it down. €800k someone is making an awful lot of money
Buying them a new house would be cheaper if that 1 mil pricetag is definitive, ultimately privately owned mad stuff like bridges are the responsibility of the private owner.
buy an old 40 foot trailer and put some ramps in…..it will become a tourist attraction
Let them fix their own bridge or take their chances on the foot bridge. I bet those are council houses that have been bought out. Typical of the type. Thinks the state owes them everything.
If its not a council bridge that means its on private property, 3 houses need the bridge from the same family owning them, they cant be short of money to fix their own bridge not a council or opw or a tax payer issue
need to club together and build a bridge it seems
Would their house insurance cover it
have your say