Debate contribution: Road Infrastructure: Ballykelly and Kilrea

Debate contribution by Mr Maurice Bradley on 27 January 2026.

MLA

Mr Maurice Bradley

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

27 January 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Adjournment

Heading

Road Infrastructure: Ballykelly and Kilrea

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5345606

Read the official Assembly record

Text

OK. I thank the Member for bringing the debate to the Chamber. It is timely and apt. I will start with the closure of the Kilrea Bridge, which has had a profound effect on daily lives, on businesses and on the overall well-being of the people in and around Kilrea. Beyond the issue of that immediate disruption, the closure of the bridge has drawn attention to the wider and long-standing challenge of how to maintain historical road infrastructure in a way that safeguards public safety while preserving essential community connectivity. It highlights the delicate balance between conservation, modern engineering and the everyday realities of those who rely on the route as a lifeline rather than as a convenience. Kilrea Bridge was closed in September 2025, following the discovery of vertical and diagonal cracking in the retaining wall at the south-west end of the structure. Engineers from the Department for Infrastructure concluded that there was a genuine and immediate risk to safety, and the bridge was closed. Since then, the effects of that decision have been felt across the entire community. For residents, the bridge forms part of a vital commuter route, and its closure has forced people to take long detours via Portglenone and Agivey, adding significant time to daily journeys. Local people have voiced strong frustrations, underlining the fact that that crossing is essential for accessing employment, healthcare and key services. Families and schools have also been affected. Local councillors have highlighted the increasing pressures placed on parents, pupils and school staff, as journeys become longer, more complex and more congested, particularly during peak traffic periods. Local businesses are among those who have been severely impacted on, with the closure coinciding with the crucial Christmas trading period. Business owners have reported reduced footfall, longer delivery routes, higher operating costs and a noticeable downturn in trade. That reinforces how central the bridge is to the economic vitality of Kilrea and its hinterland. There is progress of a kind to report. The main structural repair works to the retaining wall are scheduled to conclude by mid-February, during which time the road will remain closed to heavy goods vehicles. In that context, I place on record my thanks to the Minister and her departmental staff for their ongoing engagement and for keeping my office fully informed of developments throughout the process.

The works represent an important step towards restoring connectivity, but they also underline the vulnerability of relying on a single, ageing structure for such a critical transport link.

The current situation strengthens the case for looking beyond short-term repair to the provision of a new bridge at Kilrea designed to replace the ageing structure over the River Bann. A modern replacement bridge would not only meet contemporary safety and engineering standards but provide long-term resilience and improve capacity and reliability for residents, businesses and emergency services alike. Developing a new bridge would help ensure that Kilrea and the surrounding district were not left exposed to repeated disruption, offering a sustainable solution that supports economic growth, community well-being and regional connectivity for decades to come. While recent months have been challenging, the ongoing works and wider discussions that they have prompted present an opportunity. This moment underlines the importance of transparent communication, timely engineering interventions and sustained investment in infrastructure that underpins everyday life. It also makes a compelling case for a new bridge at Kilrea that will serve the town and district well into the future. I urge the Minister and the Department for Infrastructure to commence a scoping exercise on a new bridge over the River Bann at Kilrea to complement the relatively new structures at Toome and Agivey.

609 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 14:22 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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