A ceremony has been held to mark the beginning of construction on a landmark new bridge in Galway city.

The Salmon Weir Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge will be the first bridge to span the Corrib in over 30 years, providing a seamless route for pedestrians and cyclists to cross the river.

With views of River Corrib, the Salmon Weir, the Cathedral, wildlife, natural and built heritage in the area, this bridge will not only provide a piece of transport infrastructure, but an architectural and urban amenity space.

Galway City Council turned sod on the key project, with funding from European Commission through the European Regional Development Fund, and the National Transport Authority.

Speaking about the new bridge, Mr Brendan McGrath, Chief Executive of Galway City Council, commented: "Galway City Council is delighted to celebrate this milestone event in the delivery of an iconic new bridge for the people of Galway. This world-class bridge will remove current conflicts between pedestrians and cyclists, and traffic, and will enhance links between both sides of the river, as well as facilitating the Cross-City Link public transport corridor over the existing 200 year old bridge. Galway City Council welcomes the support of the National Transport Authority, and the European Commission, through European Regional Development Funding, facilitated by the Northern and Western Regional Assembly."

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Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton added: "I am delighted to see construction commencing on the Salmon Weir Cycling and Walking Bridge. Anyone who has, like me, walked across the old bridge, will have been conscious that one slip could lead to a collision given how narrow the footpaths are. This new shared-use pedestrian and cycle bridge at the Salmon Weir Bridge will bring a number of significant benefits to Galway City, including offering a dedicated safe crossing point for pedestrians and cyclists alike. This is one of over 1,200 projects across the length and breadth of the country to receive targeted funding towards making walking and cycling in our villages, towns and cities safer, more sustainable and enjoyable. As we continue to meet our commitment of spending almost €1 million on walking and cycling projects each day, I am delighted to see projects like this progress to construction. I look forward to seeing many more such projects commencing not only in Galway but all around the country."

Planning consent for the new bridge was received from An Bord Pleanála on 16 August 2021. The tender for construction was issued on 03 December 2021, with a contractor appointed in March 2022. Advance works, such as tree felling, was successfully completed before the end of February 2022. It is anticipated that the bridge will be substantially complete by early 2023.