Bridge delay ‘will lead to more frustration for drivers’

DELAYING the construction of a second river crossing in Waterford will only anger and frustrate motorists who, for 20 years, have had to endure long queues at the city’s only bridge, local representatives warned yesterday.

Work on the crossing was due to begin later this month as part of the Waterford city bypass project, but has been suspended until a decision is made on the Viking site discovered at Woodstown.

Sinn Féin Councillor David Cullinane has called on Environment Minister Dick Roche to proceed swiftly with construction of the new bridge and motorway once he receives three expert reports on the historical settlement.

“Only one third of the Viking site in Woodstown is within the roadtake - there are two-thirds which are within private land,” Mr Cullinane said. “We are calling for that private land to be preserved, bought by the State and excavated at a later date,” he said.

“For 20 years, the people of Waterford have been queuing to get to the first bridge, there’s massive frustration that the hold-up would be prolonged.”

The Rice Bridge in Waterford city has an average daily traffic volume of 40,000 vehicles. The proposed bridge would dramatically improve the flow of traffic in and around the city.

Waterford City Council said the decision to suspend negotiations with two major contractors at the final stages was made in the best interests of all concerned.

“The Viking site is on the line of the proposed bypass route so we had to suspend the process to firm up on the implications of this,” Lar Power, the council’s director of transportation and infrastructure, said.

Alderman Tom Cunningham of Fine Gael said while the Viking site is important, once a decision is made on the extent and timeframe of any excavation, priority should be given to the bypass. “It’s so crucial to the gateway status of Waterford it cannot afford an extensive delay,” he said.