The gap has been bridged between Blackwater Park and Navan Town Centre

The new footbridge over the Blackwater in Navan, linking Balmoral and Navan's Blackwater Park was officially opened last Friday, providing safe and convenient access to local people.

Fitzwilliam Group managed the delivery of the project, which consists of a new bridge, footpaths, cycle paths and associated public lighting. The bridge runs in a north-south direction across the river Blackwater from the open green-field park on the north of the river to the estate at Balmoral. The aim of the new bridge is to provide a new traffic-free recreational route, and to encourage sustainable travel to and from the town centre.

The idea for the bridge was first mooted in 2018, and now it belongs to the people of Navan and is another step in the development of the town following the recent addition of the Local Distributor Road (LDR4), which opened in October of last year.

Mayor of Navan, Cllr Padraig Fitzsimons said: “It is a superb addition to our town, encouraging walking and cycling, connecting key areas, and providing a beautiful space for people to enjoy. This project reflects the positive direction Navan is taking as a vibrant, accessible and forward-looking town."

He added whilst speaking at the opening ceremony: “This bridge is not about getting from A to B. It’s about connection in the truest sense. It connects communities, it connects people to our beautiful amenities, and it connects our town to a healthier and more sustainable future."

“Between the new pedestrian bridge and the LDR4, these projects will make Navan a cleaner, more attractive place to live.

“I want to sincerely thank Willie Smith and everyone at the Fitzwilliam Group for their partnership and for helping to deliver a project that would benefit Navan for generations… Projects like this don’t just happen by accident. They are a result of vision, collaboration, and commitment.

“I think the opening of this bridge is for the people here, for the community at large, for the people that live on both sides of the town… I feel really proud as a Navan man to open this bridge. Ultimately, it’s a sign of what Navan is becoming: a connected, vibrant, forward-looking town.”

Chief Executive of Meath County Council Kieran Kehoe added to the Mayor’s comments.

“What we're trying to show as a local authority, as a town, as a county, is that we can be the best. This bridge symbolises that.

“We have a simple motto here in Meath County Council, and that's about making Meath even better. All these things help that. It's not every day you get to build or open a bridge. We’ve done two in the last year. That should show the progress that we're making.”

Mr Kehoe said there wasn’t much in the way of limits when it comes to Navan’s potential.

“I have a want and drive that we really push Navan as the county town. I want them competing up there with the top towns in the country.

“This bridge is a really powerful example of what we can achieve when we work together.”

Fitzwilliam Group's Navan headquarters are located just a stone’s throw away from the new bridge, and the organisation’s chairman William Smyth showed great gratitude for the safe and effective project delivery.

“The bridge was manufactured by Thompson of Carlow’s structural steel division. It was a joy to see the way the construction was executed. It’s a huge piece of infrastructure to move from Carlow to Navan, but it was done seamlessly.

“The construction was carried about by Broomfield Construction. The bridge was constructed in possibly one of the wettest years in Ireland. It's no fun working below the waterline with the river in full flood. It's a credit to Broomfield and their team and their safety procedures that there was no reportable incident on this project.”

Smyth also tipped his cap to the design team Arthur Gibney and Partners Architecture, and consulting engineers Hendrick Ryan, before saying recent developments in Meath are something everyone in the area should be proud of.

“Nobody could have predicted the progress that has been made in Navan over the last 49 years. I think we should all be very proud of what we’ve achieved… Meath, sometimes, we don’t stand back and look at the achievements we’ve made in this county.”

Cllr Eddie Fennessy said the council has lots of good projects at various stages of development in Navan.

"This bridge is one of the better ones... Nearby schools, disability service providers, leisure walkers, local residents and everyone in between will benefit from the ease of access this bridge provides.

“We can expect to have parking facilities at Balmoral in the near future too, which will further enhance the convenience of accessing the park from that side of the river."