Finaghy Road North. Road to be closed from 23 June
The bridge over the railway line at Finaghy Road North in west Belfast will be closed to traffic from Monday 23 June to allow essential safety improvements to be carried out.
The work will involve replacing existing walls and fences over the bridge with high standard safety barriers, but due to the restricted width of the bridge this cannot be carried out safely when it is open to traffic. The closure has been timed to coincide with the summer period when traffic levels are at their lowest. Due to the complex nature of the work and construction constraints, the road might not reopen to traffic until mid September. However, Roads Service will be working closely with the contractor to enable the road to reopen as early as possible.>
Diversionary routes via Blacks Road and Stockmans Lane will be well signposted and traffic alerted in advance by roadside signs. The junctions on these alternative routes will be closely monitored to ensure that diverted traffic does not suffer undue delay. Motorists are asked to be patient and allow sufficient additional time for their journey.
Existing train services will operate as normal and Finaghy halt will remain operational throughout the works.
A pedestrian route will be retained at all times adjacent to the bridge via a temporary footbridge spanning the railway line and a free shuttle bus will operate from 8:00am – 8:30pm daily between Orchardville Avenue and Diamond Gardens to cater for those with mobility difficulties. The temporary footbridge and shuttle bus will come into operation on 23 June.
Updated information will be available on the ‘Roadworks’ link of the Roads Service website at www.roadsni.gov.uk or can be obtained by speaking to a member of the project team on 02890 253169.
Notes
- The work is being carried out jointly by Roads Service and Northern Ireland Railways. It was prompted after a study of the risks of vehicle incursions onto the railway track following an accident in Selby, Yorkshire in 2001 in which ten people lost their lives.
- After this crash the Dept of Transport recommended that each road over rail site on the entire rail network be assessed for risk to reduce the chances of a road vehicle reaching a railway track. Of the 124 sites in the north that have been assessed, 18 were identified for treatment and Finaghy Road North was considered to be the highest risk.
- The £4 million programme for post Selby road/rail safety measures commenced in 2005 and 14 of the 18 sites have already been completed. The remaining sites will be completed by 2009.
- Improvements have been made to road over railway bridges as well as parallel road/railway sites such as alongside the Sydenham By Pass.
- The works contract has been awarded to Lagan Construction Ltd.
