Urban regeneration company, Ilex today announced that time lapse cameras showing the construction of the Peace Bridge are now accessible on the Ilex website. The bridge is funded by the European Union’s PEACE III Shared Public Space programme which supports large scale infrastructure development to tackle problems of separated communities by creating new shared space or transforming contested space. Total project funding is £13,343,476.
The most significant capital project in the city for decades, the Peace Bridge will be complete by December 2010 and Ilex has installed two time lapse cameras to provide a record of the construction for viewing now and a record for the city archives. The first camera is located on the top of the City Hotel and provides panoramic views across the Foyle while the second camera is located on Ebrington. Both record images of the construction at regular intervals.
Sean Currie, Ilex’s Programme Manager said: “We’re delighted that the construction of the Peace Bridge can be followed on-line by everyone in the city and further afield. The cameras capture still images every few minutes which are combined to make a film of the construction which is then speeded up to provide a ‘snapshot’ of the current construction phase. The film can be viewed on http://www.ilex-urc.com/index.cfm/do/PeaceBridgeConstruction and will be regularly updated with some still images being added. The cameras will also capture images of the re-development of the parade ground on Ebrington which will start soon”.
Ciaran O'Neill, General Manager of the City Hotel, said: “The City Hotel is delighted to make their building available to Ilex so that cameras can record such an important event in the city’s history“.
The Peace Bridge will measure 235 metres bank to bank and will have an overall gradient of 1/50. Designed for pedestrians and cyclists, the bridge will run from behind Guildhall Square to the Ebrington embankment linking through the former Parade Ground to the Limavady Road. Construction commenced in early January and preparatory works such as the construction of steel are currently being carried out off site.
ENDS
For further information contact Mo Durkan, Ilex - 028 7126 9226 or 07917 544297. Press release and bridge images are downloadable on www.ilex-urc.com (home page)
NOTES TO EDITORS
SEUPB and the PEACE programme
The Special EU Programmes Body is a North/South Implementation Body sponsored by the Department of Finance and Personnel in Northern Ireland and the Department of Finance in Ireland. It is responsible for managing two EU structural funds Programmes PEACE III and INTERREG IVA designed to enhance cross-border co-operation, promote reconciliation and create a more peaceful and prosperous society. The programmes operate within a clearly defined area including Northern Ireland, the Border Region of Ireland and in the case of INTERREG IVA, Western Scotland.
The PEACE III Programme is worth €333 million and is aimed primarily at reinforcing progress towards a peaceful and stable society and promoting reconciliation. It focuses on helping Northern Ireland and the Border Region of Ireland to reconcile communities and contribute towards a shared society.
Ilex
Northern Ireland’s only Urban Regeneration Company, Ilex was set up in 2003 by the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister (OFMdFM) and the Department for Social Development (DSD) to plan, develop and sustain the economic, physical and social regeneration of the Derry City Council area.
Owned by the Office of the First and deputy First Minister (OFMdFM), 26-acre Ebrington is being re-developed by Ilex as a mixed-use site for tourism, arts & culture, commercial, residential and convenience retail. Ebrington was a military base since 1841 when the army constructed a Star Fort (now listed and still largely intact). The Star Fort walls are currently being restored to their former glory. Overlooking the River Foyle, the Parade Ground is the centrepiece of the 1841 Star Fort (scheduled ancient monument). The Parade Ground is being redesigned as a piazza and the listed buildings surrounding it are earmarked for tourism, leisure, arts & culture use.
Bridge contractors
The contract for the design and construction of the Peace Bridge was awarded to Graham, one of the largest engineering contractors in Northern Ireland. The company has brought together a high quality design and construction team comprising of Wilkinson Eyre, London (architects), Faber Maunsell, Newcastle (structural engineers) and Rowecord, Wales (steelwork fabrication). Based in Dromore, Co Down, Graham. has built some of the most iconic bridges in Ireland, including Foyle Bridge, Belfast Cross Harbour Road and Rail Bridges and the Dargan Bridge in South Dublin. Bridge architects, Wilkinson Eyre, are best known for the design of the iconic Gateshead Millennium Bridge.
Individually or collectively the companies involved in the design and construction of the Peace Bridge have also been (or are currently) involved in the design and construction of a broad range of bridges including:
Foyle Bridge, Derry ~ Londonderry
Coleraine Pedestrian / Cycle Bridge
Dargan Bridge, Dublin
Westlink, Belfast
Samuel Beckett Bridge, Dublin
A71 Irvine Bridge, Scotland
Crossharbour Road and Rail Bridges, Belfast
Dunleer – Dundalk Motorway Bridges
Limavady Bypass
Comber Bypass
Living Bridge, University of Limerick
Gateshead Millennium Bridge, England
Hulme Arch, Manchester, England
South Quay Footbridge, London
Bellmouth Passage Bridges, London
Great Wharf Road Bridge, London
Poole Harbour Second Crossing, England
Medway River Crossing, England
Butterfly Bridge, Bedford, England
Lockmeadow Footbridge, Maidstone, England
Swansea Sail Bridge, Wales
Forthside Pedestrian Bridge, Stirling, Scotland
Viaduc de la Savoureuse, France
Suzhou-Nantong Crossing, China
Metsovitikos Suspension Bridge, Greece
Toome Bridge
Boyne Bridge, Ireland
River Usk Bridge, England
Aberfeldy Bridge, England
Royal Albert Bridge, England
River Yare Bridge, England
Dockland Light Railway Bridge, London
Regents Canal bridge, England
Sutong Bridge, China
Taiwan High Speed Rail Project
Rion-Antirion Bridge, Greece
Chamberlain Bridge, Barbados
My Thuan Bridge, Vietnam
Tsing Lung Bridge, Hong Kong
Zwolle Bridge, the Netherlands