New Year could mean a new bridge for Ballymoney

After two years of progressing this scheme, sustainable transport charity Sustrans, will be presenting the project to Ballymoney Council on 4th January at Riada House, at 6.30pm in a bid to secure the funding from Translink for the bridge at Ballymoney Station - a central part of this safer and greener, traffic-free walking and cycling route.

The scheme will connect the expanding community in the south to the town centre including access to the station, Riverside Park, local schools and the sports centre.

The new bridge at the station will mean the removal of a dangerous, unmanned crossing so that pedestrians, cyclists, wheelchair users and parents with prams or buggies would have a safer means to cross the tracks and access the local facilities. This bridge and its connecting network of paths will effectively link the north and the south of the town for journeys by foot and bike.

Sustrans and their Connect2 partners - Translink and Ballymoney Borough Council - have already signed a Memorandum of Understanding in March 2009 to commit funding to this project but with financial pressures on all budgets for next year, Sustrans is concerned that the route may not now receive the original match-funding from Translink as originally proposed.

The cost for the bridge and overall route is just over 1million with 350k coming from the Sustrans lottery funding, 350,000 towards the bridge from Translink, 280,000 from Ballymoney Borough Council and NIEA and a contribution of 40,000 from DRD Roads Service.

Claire Pollock , Area Manager Northern Ireland Sustrans , said: "The new walking and cycling bridge is a key missing link to offering people in the town safe and healthy access to facilities by walking and cycling and we know that the people of Ballymoney have really supported it from the beginning. Ballymoney Borough Council and partners have already invested in the popular Riverside Park and Joey Dunlop Greenways. The funding for the new bridge must be secured to ensure that the community of Ballymoney does not lose out"

Local cyclist Vanda McClure said,

"This bridge will give the people of Ballymoney a real choice to cycle or walk around the town for their everyday journeys. If we could all choose cycling or walking for the shorterjourneys we make we would be a lot healthier and our environment would benefit too."

Many people in Ballymoney took the time to vote for this vital new route, with shops and schools putting up posters, and displaying leaflets. The scheme's Steering Group meets regularly and when complete this route will hugely benefit the people of Ballymoney. Sustrans Big Lottery funding is also being used for schemes in Strabane, Omagh, Derry/Londonderry, Dungannon and Newtownabbey.