Member's statement: Kilrea Bridge

Member's statement by Mr Jon Burrows on 20 April 2026.

MLA

Mr Jon Burrows

Party at the time

Ulster Unionist Party

Date

20 April 2026

Type

Member's statement

Business

Members' Statements

Heading

Kilrea Bridge

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5493186

Read the official Assembly record

Text

On Friday, I met Kenny Bradley, a businessman and the owner of Kenny's garage, along with other business persons and local people, to discuss Kilrea Bridge. Kilrea Bridge is a historic bridge that has served the people of Northern Ireland since before the French Revolution. In fact, it had been standing for 120 years before the first car drove over it, but the bridge has not been properly inspected and maintained. Last September, it had to be closed suddenly, and it remained closed for three months. The bridge's closure caused devastation in the area. It delayed public services from doing their important work and children from getting to school. Crucially, it decimated local businesses, which lost hundreds of thousands of pounds. The bridge is vital, as it really connects the people of that region of Antrim, Londonderry and Tyrone. I spoke to one farmer who lost £10,000 in the three months that the bridge was closed. There is now real demand that the Executive get their act together and sort out a new bridge for Kilrea. The people of Kilrea are proud of their historic bridge, but, alongside it, they need a new bridge. A new bridge needs to be commissioned and a feasibility study done. Progress needs to be made on getting that bridge in place. I call for three clear actions. First, there should be a better inspection and repair regime for the existing bridge, which, I am glad to say, is open again, to ensure that it stays open for as long as is needed until there is a new bridge. Secondly, the Department for Infrastructure should start to develop a contingency plan now to scope out what a temporary bridge would look like should the bridge have to be closed again for unforeseen reasons. Let us plan for a temporary bridge now so that the Department is shovel-ready. Thirdly, the Department for Infrastructure needs to take immediate action to begin a phase 1 feasibility study on a new bridge. People across Northern Ireland see the Executive dither and delay, unable to agree a multi-year Budget and arguing about all the wrong things. The Executive need to listen to local businesses, local citizens and local farmers, who rely on them to pull their finger out to get a bridge sorted out and to start delivering for the people of Northern Ireland. I therefore call on the Minister for Infrastructure in particular to visit Kilrea and speak to the people to whom I spoke. Let us get the bridge built for Kilrea.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:21 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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