Lorry damages bridge just days after warning

Canningstown Bridge has been struck by a lorry, causing significant damage - just over 48 hours after the notorious traffic pinch point was flagged as a serious traffic danger by a local councillor.

The incident, which occurred on Wednesday morning (March 25), sharply reinforced long-standing concerns in the local area about the narrow bridge structure, widely regarded as a high-risk location for heavy vehicles within the Bailieborough-Cootehill Municipal District.

While plans are in motion to find a long-term solution, only limited funding has been secured this year - enough to progress to design and tender stages.

The bridge is particularly problematic for HGV drivers, who are frequently forced into difficult and risky manoeuvres to avoid collisions. That danger became reality this week when a lorry struck the bridge, highlighting the very risks raised just days earlier by Fianna Fáil’s Niall Smith.

Speaking at a Municipal District meeting recently, Cllr Smith warned of the long-standing and unresolved safety issues at the busy junction. The bridge has been repaired several times before following accidents, and despite widespread reco gnition of the problem, the council has said an immediate solution is unlikely.

Senior Area Engineer Clinton Mulligan said the issue has been under review, with €125,000 allocated for 2026. A tender process - titled the Canningstown Bridge Widening and Junction Improvement Scheme - was launched late last year to appoint consulting engineers to carry out the necessary design work. However, both officials and councillors accept the funding falls far short of what is required to deliver any immediate change.

“€125,000 isn’t going to do a lot,” Cllr Smith said.

Mr Mulligan explained that any meaningful fix - particularly realigning the bridge - would involve a “substantial scheme” of works and significantly greater investment.

“This is what we were talking about,” said Aontú’s Adrian Rogers, responding to the latest accident.

Cllr Rogers, who also runs The Bridge bar and restaurant in Canningstown, which stands adjacent to the scene, said the damage done is “substantial”.

He added that council officials have already visited the scene. “It’s a big problem for the area... and it shouldn’t have had to come to this, but maybe this will highlight how badly we need something done with the bridge.”