Bridge the bannfoot

The first crossing at the Bannfoot is recorded in 1760 and existed until the hand operated ferry ceased in 1984. It remains the only river on the shoreline of Lough Neagh with no dedicated crossing.

 

The hand-pulled ferry crossing the Bannfoot in the 1960s

The span of the river Bann at the Bannfoot is around 30 meters. To get to the other side currently involves a trip into Portadown and takes 18 miles. With the current 1000km Greenway Plan out for consultation now is the time to put the last piece of the Loughshore jigsaw in place.

Portadown & Craigavon have very high cycle accident rates and a crossing here would create a safe, picturesque, no emission, low impact crossing point for cyclists, walkers and anglers and a transformative bridge between local communities.

On the back of an article published on the NIGreenways blog we launched a petition in March 2017 to gather support for a bridge at the Bannfoot.

In May 2018 we delivered a petition with 3300 signatures, all in support of the  foot bridge, to all the local MLAs in Upper Bann, the Southern Division of the Department for Infrastructure, the Leisure and Community committee at the ABC Council and the All Party Cycling Group at Stormont. A copy of the petition can be obtained by contacting us.

As of December 2018 the petition stands at 4400 signatures.