Five-hour bridge closure sparks criticism of department

A Stormont department has been criticised by some politicians over the length of time it took to reopen the Foyle bridge in Londonderry following a car fire.

There was traffic chaos in the city for much of Thursday after the bridge closed to traffic at about 13:00 BST.

The bridge reopened more than five hours after emergency services extinguished the car fire and the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) then worked to remove debris from the bridge.

The DfI defended their handling of the incident, saying the burnt-out vehicle had to cool before it could be removed and said departmental crews then worked to clear debris, oil and fuel residue from the road before the bridge could safely reopen.

The DfI said traffic could also not be diverted to the other side of the bridge due to ongoing inspection work that has resulted in parts of the road being already excavated.

A structural inspection of the bridge has been ongoing since mid July, that includes a 30mph speed limit and temporary lane closures.

Speaking earlier on Friday, Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) assembly member Mark H Durkan said the length of time it took to reopen the bridge had "brought our entire city to a standstill for half a day".

"It is my understanding the police first called DfI at about 13:30 – four hours later DfI were unable to say whether or not someone was on their way or not."

He added: "We are supposedly the second city. The treatment we have received from DfI yesterday… was second class at best."

The Northern Ireland Fire Service (NIFRS) said crews were called to the Foyle Bridge in Derry at 13:00 BST on Thursday following reports that a car was on fire.

NIFRS said firefighters put the fire - believed to have started accidentally - out and left the bridge at 13:49.

DfI said on Thursday its officials subsequently arrived on site to remove debris from the carriageway and make it safe to reopen.

In a social media post at 19:21, police said the bridge had reopened.

Gregory Campbell from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme that some people had been forced to take 30 or 35 mile detours because of the closure.

"It was just horrendous. What we need now is DfI, from the minster downwards, into the department, down to local level (to answer) what are they going to do if something like this happens again?"

The East Londonderry MP said there needs now to be "contingency plans" that can "be operated quickly upon".

Derry and Strabane People Before Profit councillor, Shaun Harkin, said the length of time the bridge was closed was a "disgrace" and "very frustrating for people".

"It created gridlock… that shouldn't be the case.

"We need to get an explanation about why there wasn't an urgency about getting the bridge reopened."

Following the traffic issues resulting from the bridge closure, the DfI added that the Northwest Transport Plan (NWTP) will consider a range of local transport challenges and opportunities across the north west going forward.

The NWTP is intended to set the framework for local transport policy and investment decisions across the Derry City and Strabane District Council area up to 2035