River Foyle - Crossing The Foyle

Crossing The Foyle

The River Foyle is also the fastest flowing river in Europe for its size, making the construction of bridges to cross it difficult. In Derry, the main crossing point, there are three bridges. The southernmost bridge, the oldest of the three, is Europe's only road traffic double decker bridge and is officially known as the Craigavon Bridge (occasionally referred to colloquially as the Blue Bridge). The northernmost bridge, known as the Foyle Bridge, is a much larger bridge and was built to accommodate tallships at a time when it was envisaged that the city would need to accommodate such vessels. However, this proved unnecessary as the main port was moved several miles north of the city and the large vessels it was designed for never had to come so far south. The Foyle Bridge was planned originally by the Londonderry Development Commission and was intended to alleviate the traffic congestion on the existing Craigavon Bridge and in the city centre. However, political prevaricating meant that it was not constructed until the 1980s. Derry's third bridge, the Peace Bridge, is situated behind the Guildhall Square, north of the Craigavon Bridge. The pedestrian and cycle bridge was opened in 2011, intended as a symbol of union between the two sides of the city. Outside of Derry, the only bridge to cross the River Foyle is Lifford Bridge, which was built in the 1960s between Lifford, the county town of County Donegal on the western bank of the river, and Strabane, a major town in County Tyrone on the eastern bank.