Work to dismantle the Boyne Bridge in Belfast city centre is to start on Saturday.
Durham Street, which runs across the bridge, will close for a year to facilitate work on the new Grand Central Station.
The current bridge near Sandy Row was reconstructed in 1936, but its origins date back nearly 400 years.
Translink say the work will involve “sensitively dismantling” the bridge.
Drivers will not be able to access Durham Street from Grosvenor Road to Hope Street until the project is completed.
A cardboard cut out in the shape of a man is burned. It says Boyne Bride Destroyer. There are protesters standing around it. A mural of King Billy is to the left.
William III, or King Billy, is believed to have crossed the site on his way to the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.
Plans to demolish the bridge has led to some opposition from local residents, who called for it to be refurbished and incorporated into the plans.
A protest was held near the site after it was announced in 2017.
In a statement, Translink say the appointed contractor will “seek to preserve key elements of the bridge”.
A whole year just to do this? Does that not seem excessive?
I can’t see any architectural merit to the bridge. It basically dates from 1936 and I doubt if any of us ever gave it much thought. What us earth does “sensitively dismantling” even mean? If they “insensitively dismantle” it, would that speed up the process?
Traffic in Belfast city centre has been pretty chaotic lately, it is going to be fun for the Christmas shopping.
I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism, I am not a member of any political party. Oddly for a member of the Slugger team, I am not that interested in daily politics, preferring to write about big ideas in society. When not stuck in front of a screen, I am a parkrun Run Director.
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