Defects in bridge scupper marina plan

A FAILURE in the opening mechanism of a bridge is blocking access to a multi-million euro marina — backed by state funding.

The Maurice O’Neill Memorial Bridge, which spans Portmagee Channel and links Valentia Island to the mainland, at Portmagee, no longer opens to facilitate sailing boats and other sea traffic because of electrical and mechanical faults.

The difficulties with the Valentia bridge are, in turn, causing problems for a co-ordinated marine leisure tourism business linking Portmagee to Knightstown and also Cahersiveen marina.

Millions of euro in state funding has been invested in the project.

The need to link the three centres as part of a so-called necklace of marinas had been highlighted in 2005 in a review of the €3.3 million Cahersiveen marina.

The Department of the Marine said there should have been a co-ordinated strategy before the Cahersiveen marina was undertaken. A new multimillion euro marina, also state-backed, is now under way in Knightstown but the link to Portmagee, and beyond, s impossible because the hydraulics in the Valentia bridge do not work.

Locals say the lifting mechanism has been faulty for almost a decade. The bridge had been completed in 1970 after years of campaigning by locals.

Businessman Paudie Lynch, who along with others are trying to get the bridge repaired, said the development committees in Portmagee and on the island had been spearheading a campaign for some years — but had little success in persuading Kerry County Council, tourism bodies or Government departments to repair the opening mechanism.

He claimed there was no coordination between the statutory bodies. “It is an absolute scandal — the council should have moved on this over a decade ago. There is no vision. How are we to develop tourism?

“There is no overall vision and a complete lack of co-ordination,” said Mr Lynch, who is involved in the ferry company which takes both cars and foot traffic to Knightstown.

A new €5m harbour and marina is under way in Knightstown — but sailing boats can only access it by going around the island, he said.

“Getting the bridge to work is vital — the boats coming in from the south have to go around the island to come into the harbour.”

Kerry County Council has commissioned two reports on the bridge since 2002 but does not have the €500,000 needed to repair it. A consultant’s report in 2008 discovered the 14-arch bridge can no longer open as the mechanism suffers from corrosion.