Draft:Coleraine Bridge



Coleraine Bridge, also known as the Coleraine Bann Bridge, Bann Bridge or Town Bridge, is a stone bridge, dating from 1844, in Coleraine, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is the oldest of the three bridges that span the River Bann in Coleraine, the others being the Sandelford Bridge built 1975 to the south, and the Bann Bridge built 1924 to the north.

History
It is a three arch stone bridge built between 1841 and 1844, designed by architect John Lynn, from designs held by the county surveyor Stewart Gordon and constructed by George Maxwell out of dressed Scottish granite. The bridge was opened in 1844 and is one of the finest stone-built bridges in Northern Ireland. The previous bridge was a stone and wooden structure which lasted between the 17th century to around 1840, the piers of said bridge can be seen under the arches at very low tide. Until the mid 1970s all the through traffic crossed the Coleraine Bridge causing serious congestion in the town until 1975 when the Sandelford Bridge which carries the A29 Ring Road opened.

In 2001 the Waterside Millenium Footbridge was constructed alongside the existing bridge on the downstream side for the added safety of pedestrians and cyclists as the old bridge was too narrow for footpaths on either side. It carries the A2 road across the Lower Bann River.