I thank the Minister for his presence tonight and I regret having to drag him in here to deal with this matter. The issue has now reached crisis point as Kerry County Council proposes to close Ballinaghar Bridge shortly and the local people are very concerned about that decision. Ballinaghar Bridge over the river Brick is in extremely poor structural condition. The bridge which was erected in four spans is 25 feet long and is supported by five pairs of tubular steel piles driven into the river bed and filled with concrete. The quality of the concrete in the deck is extremely poor and the steel troughing on which it sits is in very poor condition, is very rusted and has collapsed in a number of places.
The saga of Ballinaghar Bridge has been going on for some time. In January 1955 a resolution was passed by Kerry County Council that plans be prepared for a new bride at Ballinaghar. On 6 July 1970 a preliminary report was received and the estimated cost of providing a new bridge then was £62,500, which was considered too expensive. In May 1975 Kerry County Council agreed to finalise plans for a new bridge. The consultant engineer was instructed to proceed with the preparation of a full set of documents. On 23 February 1977 the county secretary was instructed to submit documents to the Department of the Environment for sanction. In February 1978 an estimate of £202,000 was submitted for the all-in cost of a new bridge. On 22 February the Department of the Environment replied to Kerry County Council stating that even though the existing bridge was in an extremely dangerous condition the road was not of sufficient importance to warrant the provision of a new bridge.
A suggestion was then made to provide a Bailey bridge at a cost of about £32,000. In March 1980 a loan of £190,000 was applied for to the Department but the application was rejected. This has been a saga of promises and commitments but no action has been taken. More than 200 plot holders who use Ballinaghar bog will be affected as most of them come from the Ballyduff side of the bridge. Closure of the bridge will mean a 15 mile round trip for most of these people, some of whom have no transport and still use the old reliable donkey and cart or horse and cart. A number of farmers who have land on both sides of the bridge will be considerably inconvenienced by closure of the bridge and management of their farms will be seriously interfered with. The area between Lixnaw and Ballyduff is an important tourist route. Close by at Rattoo is the only round tower in Kerry which attracts a large number of tourists during the summer months.
A proposal was put forward that Kerry County Council purchase a Bailey bridge and this seems to be the most feasible solution as a new bridge could cost in the region of £750,000. Kerry County Council has in stock a section of Bailey bridging spanning about 60 feet. However, in the case of Ballinaghar Bridge a span of 125 feet is needed. At a cost of about £100,000 Kerry County Council could provide a Bailey bridge which would ensure access from both sides. I would like the Minister to respond to a request for a grant from the Department for a Bailey bridge to overcome this serious problem.
