The bridge is composed of Dorman Long steel girders on reinforced concrete piers, which themselves rest on precast concrete piles. There are 10 spans about 23m apart, 4 on the Derry side of the lifting span, the lifting span itself, and 5 on the Coleraine side. The lifting span is 25m long, single leaf, and weighs 250 tons, counterbalanced by an underhung concrete block. The bridge carries trains on a single track about 7m above the River Bann and is roughly 5m wide. In total it is 240m long.[1]
History
The current bridge replaced its predecessor, slightly further upstream, in 1924.[2] It carried the Northern Counties Committee line between Belfast and Derry and cost £100,000 (£5,718,383.23 in 2017[3]).
The bridge was closed in 2012 for refurbishment, which was carried out by F.P. McCann.[4]
The bridge is still in use today, carrying the NI RailwaysBelfast–Derry line. The lifting span is still operational and a special signalling system prevents trains from being in the section whilst the bridge is open.[5]
