Louisburgh’s new ‘golden gate bridge’ given go-ahead

Louisburgh’s new ‘golden gate bridge’ given go-ahead


Áine Ryan
aineryan@mayonews.ie

COMPARING the newly proposed bridge for the village of Louisburgh to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge may be a stretch of the imagination. But for Fine Gael Cllr Austin Francis O’Malley the upgrade of the bridge over the Bunowen has been a personal quest for almost 50 years. On Christmas morning 1964 he had an accident on the same narrow bridge, which was built in the 1930s and has, in recent decades, caused many logjams on the village’s narrow main street.  
Speaking at yesterday’s Westport Electoral Area Committee meeting, Cllr O’Malley strongly welcomed news by council officials that work on the bridge is due to start during July and will be completed by Christmas.  
“It will be a bit like the Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco. I must thank Minister Michael Ring for the funding and Cllr Margaret Adams for proposing the acceptance of the project and all the landowners for cooperating with the development. This is an important piece of infrastructure for Louisburgh since the bridge provides the gateway to Leenane, Clare Island and Inishturk,” Cllr O’Malley said.
Committee cathaoirleach , Cllr Johnny O’Malley also welcomed news of the development while Cllr Adams sought assurances that commuters and tourists would not be inconvenienced during the summer months
Senior Engineer, Padraic Walsh confirmed the development would encompass footpaths, a widened carriageway, a lighting system and rehabilitation of the existing deck. Whether it ultimately becomes such an engineering feat that it is dubbed a ‘modern Wonder of the World’, like the Golden Gate, remains to be seen.