Work to dismantle Boyne Bridge in Belfast city centre begins

Work to dismantle the Boyne Bridge in Belfast city centre has begun.A full road closure of Durham Street will be in place for one year from Saturday to facilitate work on the new £340m Grand Central Station.The full road closure from Grosvenor Road to Hope Street will last for up to 12 months.

The works will involve dismantling the 1936 Boyne Bridge to complete the first phase of street works.Key elements of the structure which date back to the 17th Century are to be preserved.A legal bid to halt work around its demolition was dismissed by the High Court on Friday.Translink has encouraged people to use public transport to access the city during the works.Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd has announced a pilot scheme to permit Class A and Class C taxis to use certain bus lanes in the city centre while the road works are carried out. Minister O’Dowd said: “My Department has worked closely with Translink to manage traffic flow during the ongoing construction, however some level of disruption is unavoidable while these important works are carried out.”Bus and rail services are set to operate from the new station from Sunday.

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