Bridge closure blow for Trim

The wooden pedestrian bridge which links Trim Castle to the Porchfields remains closed, as a structural engineering report is awaited.

In recent weeks, the bridge was closed by Meath County Council and it is not yet clear what works will be required to bring it up to standard so it can re-open, or if it will need to be replaced. The bridge provided an important link with many people using it to access the Porchfields from the town centre and its closure is a big loss to the town.

The bridge had started to lean to one side and the council recently took the decision to close it pending further investigation.

A spokesperson for Meath County Council said the bridge was closed recently due to “structural damage” and that a structural engineering report has been commissioned.

“Meath Co Council has commissioned a structural engineering report and when the recommendations from this report are received they will be addressed,” the spokesperson said. It is not known at this time what the extent of damage is and it may take some time to repair this bridge. A local detour will be put in place during this time.”

The bridge was erected in the early 2000s and is known as the Millennium Bridge.

Local councillor Noel French has suggested that as this link is so important, the army should be drafted in to erect a pontoon bridge, similar to what happened for the day of Scurlogstown Olympiad in the nineties.

"The connection between Trim Castle and the Porchfields is so important that perhaps we should request the army to erect a pontoon bridge while the existing bridge is closed.

"If the existing bridge cannot be repaired, we will have to look for a replacement one as soon as possible," he added.

A pontoon bridge was erected each year for the Scurlogstown Olympiad Haymaking Festival and after seeing how successful it was, local councillors decided to commission a permanent wooden bridge, which has been widely used since it was installed 20 years ago.

Cllr French said the bridge has a huge impact on the town making the Porchfields accessible from Trim Castle and was a big draw for tourists who would visit the Castle and the bridge would then invite them across to the Porchfields. “A lot of people were very dependent on it and it is sad that it is closed,” he said.