Sligo Borough Council are seeking Government funding for the construction of a new pedestrian walkway on the Eastern side of Markievicz Bridge on Bridge Street, a project which is estimated will cost in the region of โฌ1 Million.
Council Officials released drawings of the proposed walkway to councillors at a recent meeting.
This proposed new boardwalk is to be situated on one of Sligo Town‘s busiest thoroughfares after a number of recent near misses involving motor vehicles and pedestrians.
The latest incident involved a group of people with learning disabilities who were almost hit by a speeding car as they crossed Bridge Street in an attempt to get onto the only side of the road WITH a footpath.
To make matters worse, the motorist then hurled abuse at these pedestrians.
The bridge is extremely dangerous for pedestrians as there is a footpath ONLY on the Western side of the footbridge, there is no room for a footpath on the Eastern side so many pedestrians take the chance and walk on the roadside, leaving themselves exposed to the traffic and to the possibility of becoming another road traffic accident victim.
The proposed scheme involves the construction of a modern suspension bridge totally independent, but adjacent to the current bridge, this scheme is thought to be the most likely to meet the reservations of Duchas – conservation architects and archaeologists, as it requires no intervention into the old bridge and it could be removed without interfering with the old bridge.
The bridge, which is officially known as New Bridge or Markievicz Bridge, dates back to 1648 and is a protected structure as well as being classified as an ancient monument.
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