Minister visits million pound bridge scheme

Work involved bridge and footway widening with extensive resurfacing of the Drum Road.

The entire project took under one year to complete.

Speaking at the site on Wednesday Minister Kennedy said the project has seen £1million would benefit all roads in the area.

He said: “This bridge now removes a bottle neck on this busy section of road where large vehicles had difficulty passing.

“It has also accommodated the provision of a two metre wide footway to both sides of the carriageway, benefiting pedestrians and road users.”

The Minister added: “The work at the bridge, along with over one kilometre of resurfacing, marks a significant investment to the western approach to Cookstown.”

The works were delivered by two local companies; McCallan Brothers, who completed the bridge work, and P Keenan and Sons who undertook the carriageway widening and resurfacing work.

Thanking the public for their cooperation during the construction work Danny Kennedy added: “Traffic control measures were necessary during much of this work and the cooperation and tolerance of motorists, residents and local business was greatly appreciated by those managing the project.”

Completion of the scheme has received a warm welcome in the Cookstown area and the two span bridge has already become a modern local landmark.