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Strabane Bridges Project
LANDMARK BRIDGE DESIGN FOR STRABANE
In order to create a suitable vehicle to drive development and promote Strabane, Strabane District Council and Strabane Chamber of Commerce and Industry came together in 1997, with the support of the Department of the Environment, and formed Strabane 2000 to encourage the regeneration of the town centre.
Following public consultation the Strabane 2000 Plan identified the need for two pedestrian and cycle bridges over the River Mourne, to connect the communities from the North and South sides of the river and which would create important, safe and convenient links within central Strabane. Presently there is only one crossing by way of an old historic narrow stone bridge that has to cope with both traffic and pedestrians.
During the beginning of 2006 a bridge project assessment panel was set up, including representatives from Roads Service, Planning Service, Rivers Agency, the Department for Social Development, Peter Hunter, Architectural Advisor to Strabane 2000 and myself. A Development Brief was prepared and expressions of interest invited from a select list of suitably qualified international bridge designers to provide a design concept for the two bridges.
The design teams had to overcome the problem of reinforced concrete walls constructed to protect Strabane from flooding, following a major flood of the town in the late 1980s. These walls now dominate the views of the river.
The bridges were to be significant features in the landscape of the area and should reflect and complement the quality of design of other projects carried out within the Strabane 2000 Strategy Plan.
Five expressions of interest were received by 16 June 2006 and a technical brief issued to interested teams by 30 June 2006. All design teams visited the sites and their designs received by Strabane 2000 by 29 September 2006. The design teams made presentations to the Technical Assessment Panel and Strabane Board at the end of November 2006.
The winning design by Roughan & O’Donovan, Dublin, was officially announced on 27 March 2007 at a ceremony in Strabane District Council Offices.
The conceptual design approach taken by Roughan & O’Donovan has been based on providing a bridge design that “…demonstrates outstanding qualities in terms of their beauty as structure and their contribution to their location”. In essence, the approach has been to provide landmark structures, which are a quality addition to the local environment.
The conceptual design has been based on providing a family of footbridges, which are elegant, simple and uncomplicated in from, yet highly striking; in essence, we have strived to achieve an “understated elegance”.
The sites are ideal for a slender cable-stayed structure, with a light visually unobtrusive deck suspended high above the river. A cranked sculpted pylon propped by structural steel ties will be used. The resulting effect is one of “lightness of touch” and provision of a transparent cable-stayed structure supported from an uncluttered triangulated tower structure with a strong vertical visual emphasis.
At night, the bridge will be even more dramatic in appearance through a bold lighting scheme. The offside or riverbank side of the top half of the main pylons will be lit by very narrow luminaries which will be set in the foundations adjacent to the angled pylon back-ties. The onside part of the top half of the pylons will be lit in a vertical plane from very narrow beam luminaries located in the gap between the two bridge decks. The lower portion of the pylons will also be lit with narrow beam luminaries located at deck level close to the point where the pylon passes through the footbridge decks. The foot of the pylon and main concrete support will be lit with narrow beam luminaries located level with the bridge deck. The main concept of the lighting design is to ensure that the pylon will be the strongest visual feature at night.
