Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, and Social Development Minister, Margaret Ritchie, today announced the commencement of construction of Derry ~ Londonderry’s new Peace Bridge which will link the former military base at Ebrington to the Guildhall.

Speaking at a special ceremony to mark the start of work on the bridge Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness said: “It is my sincere hope that the new bridge will be a catalyst for change and will help transform this city and the local community in the widest sense. It represents a real opportunity to improve relationships by transcending the physical divide of the river which, for so long, has been viewed as a boundary between the Waterside and the city side.

It will bring Ebrington into shared, public use for the first time in almost 170 years.  Most importantly, it will enable the local community to reclaim this prime riverside location for their own enjoyment”.

Social Development Minister, Margaret Ritchie said; “This is great news for the people of the North West.  I welcome the commencement of work on the new bridge which will be a dynamic new structure in the heart of the city. This new foot and cycle bridge will encourage all the citizens of Derry to have a renewed sense of pride in their city centre. On a practical level, it will create a safe, attractive, convenient and high quality route into the central area for pedestrians and cyclists.
But in addition to its contribution to the local transport infrastructure, I hope the new bridge will literally bring people in the City together and underline our resolve to create a Shared Future in Derry and the North. I have no doubt the bridge will quickly become both an important new amenity for residents and a must-see attraction for visitors to the city”.

The third bridge across the River Foyle, the Peace Bridge has been given £13,343,476 from the European Union’s PEACE III Programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). The programme’s theme of Creating Shared Public Space aims to support large scale infrastructure developments that will tackle problems of separated communities by creating genuine new shared space or transforming contested space.

Pat Colgan, Chief Executive of SEUPB said “This event marks a key milestone in the development of the Peace Bridge; a truly iconic project which has become a reality through the assistance of European funding. Upon completion it will act as a physical symbol of change, encouraging greater level of cross-community engagement, peace and reconciliation.

“The bridge also underpins many of the core principles of the PEACE III Programme which seeks to support projects with inherent longevity. In helping to re-shape part of the city it will create an enduring legacy that will have an enormously positive impact for many decades to come” he continued.

Outlining the importance of the new bridge, Chairman of Ilex, Sir Roy McNulty, said: “This is a great day for the city. The Peace Bridge is the most significant capital project in Derry ~ Londonderry for decades and is of fundamental importance to the regeneration programme.  It will unite the city physically and symbolically and will act as a catalyst for transformation and future growth. The fact that the European Union is providing funding for the bridge under the PEACE III Shared Space theme underlines the Peace Bridge’s contribution to shared, public spaces within the city.

“To mark this important milestone Ministers are launching a process asking people to let us know what they think should be included in a time capsule to be placed in Ebrington to mark the completion of this iconic project and to represent the city’s history, its people, and their aspirations for the future”.

Welcoming the commencement of the bridge construction, Mayor Cllr Paul Fleming said that it marked the beginning of new opportunities for the city and was an important achievement in the city’s regeneration programme.

The contract for the design and construction of the Peace Bridge has been awarded to Graham and 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.

Speaking on behalf of the design and construction team, Alan Bill, Managing Director of Graham said: “Graham are delighted to return to the North West to construct another bridge over the River Foyle and add another landmark structure to their portfolio of fine bridges, civil engineering and building projects. We look forward to working closely with Ilex in delivering a successful project”.

The Peace Bridge is scheduled to complete by December 2010.

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

NOTES TO EDITORS

Peace Programme

Northern Ireland and the Border Region of Ireland will benefit from a seven-year €33 million PEACE programme made up of €225 million in additional funding from the European Union along with national contributions of €108 million.

The EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland and the Border Region of Ireland, 2007 – 2013 (the PEACE III Programme) is a distinctive European Union Structural Funds Programme aimed at reinforcing progress towards a peaceful and stable society and promoting reconciliation. It will assist Northern Ireland and the Border Region of Ireland and specifically focus on reconciling communities and contributing towards a shared society.

It will deliver these priorities through measures which will:

•    Build positive relations at the local level
•    Acknowledge the past
•    Create shared public spaces
•    Develop key institutional capacity for a shared society

The programme carries forward key aspects of the previous PEACE Programmes (PEACE I and PEACE II) and has a continued and renewed emphasis on reconciliation. The PEACE III Programme continues the earlier programme’s cross-border focus on Ireland, North and South.

The purpose of the Creating Shared Public Space theme of the PEACE III programme is to tackle problems of separation of communities by creating genuine new shared space or transforming contested space. The focus is on large scale infrastructural developments that expand opportunities for common use, interaction and engagement, and economic development. It is hoped that this opportunity to interact will affect change in behavioural patterns in relation to shopping, working and socialising. €82 million has been allocated to this theme.

Time capsule

Suggestions as to what items might be placed in the time capsule can be e-mailed to info@ilex-urc.com  Anyone wishing to discuss the capsule can ring Mo Durkan, Ilex on 028 7126 9226.

Peace Bridge

The foot and cycle bridge will physically and symbolically unite both sides of the River Foyle and is conceived as two distinct structural systems that work in harmony, a pair of identical curved suspension structures, each allied to opposing banks, in a fluid “S” shaped alignment. At the middle of the river both structural systems tangibly overlap, boldly interacting to create a single unified crossing – a structural handshake across the Foyle and an embrace in the centre of the river.

The Peace Bridge will measure 235 metres and will have a gradient of 1/50. Designed for pedestrians and cyclists, the bridge will run from behind Guildhall Square on to the former Parade Ground in the former Ebrington Barracks.

The Regeneration programme

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 will be redesigned as a piazza.

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.

Ilex, Northern Ireland’s only Urban Regeneration Company, 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.
Ilex’s strategic objectives are:

•    To create and promote the coordinated regeneration of the Derry City Council area generally and to facilitate its implementation in cooperation with DSD, other relevant government departments, Derry City Council, the private sector and other interested parties; and

•    To secure the economic, social and physical regeneration of the Ebrington and Fort George sites

Bridge building team

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