Boyne Bridge demolition work linked to Grand Central Station completed

https://m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/boyne-bridge-demolition-work-linked-to-grand-central-station-completed/a1364760709.html

The demolition work around the Boyne Bridge in Belfast has been completed.
The bridge was removed as part of a redevelopment in the area connected with the new Belfast Grand Central Station.

Durham Street, which runs off Sandy Row, has been closed to allow for the dismantling of the bridge.

In December last year demolition started on the site with diggers moving in to start the removal work which was expected to complete in January.

Work was halted last month due to a reported planning issue but it soon started again.

There had been a series of protests against the removal of the bridge leading up to the work beginning.

The works have been blamed for contributing to increased congestion in the city centre in recent months.

Campaigners have called for the bridge to be saved, and there have been calls for compensation for businesses affected by its closure.

During a December, Belfast City Council meeting, three Sandy Row traders said they had lost 30% and 40% of their business since the bridge closure, while another claimed the effects were “worse than Covid”.

In October the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society (UAHS) went to the High Court in a last-minute bid to stop the work starting.

The society contended that the bridge should be preserved due to its importance in the history of Belfast. However, a judge ruled that the closure of Durham Street could go ahead as planned.

Built in 1936, the bridge’s origins stretch back to the 17th Century.

According to folklore, King William of Orange rode over it on his way to the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.

Translink has said the whole redevelopment will be completed by the end of 2025.