Trim footbridge removed this morning

The footbridge at Trim Castle was demolished early this morning (Friday), removing a vital pedestrian link between the town and the Porchfields.

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

A temporary bailey bridge is expected to be erected to replace it shortly.

Last month Meath County Council informed local councillors that the wooden pedestrian bridge cannot be repaired and will need to be replaced.

As a temporary measure, council engineers had been in contact with the army about the feasibility of providing a temporary bailey bridge over the Boyne, but the existing bridge had to be removed first.

Local councillor, Ronan Moore welcomed the move and was pleased that the bailey bridge could now be erected.

“It was unfortunate that the bridge degenerated so quickly and that there was no bridge during part of the busy tourist season. The Porchfield is such a popular attraction – I've never known anything so popular.

“The council were quick to respond to the situation and to provide maps so people could access the Porchfields,” he said.

The 20-year-old crossing was deemed unsafe earlier this year and closed off to pedestrians.

The bridge had started to lean to one side due to “structural damage”.

Prior to its erection, 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.