Railway Viaduct (1), Bleach Green Junction, Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, BT37

Railway Viaduct at Bleach Green Junction, Newtownabbey

This railway viaduct exemplifies the distinctive utilitarian style of the London, Midland & Scottish Railway (Northern Counties Committee) and stands as an impressive landscape feature. Constructed between 1931 and 1933, it formed part of the Greenisland Loop Scheme, the largest civil engineering project of its day in Britain and Ireland. The scheme provided vital employment during its construction, taking 550 men off social security. The viaduct is comparable in scale and massing to those at Bessbrook and Randalstown, and demonstrates the emerging technology of reinforced concrete while drawing on the formal language of masonry construction. It stands adjacent to a slightly smaller viaduct and is functionally associated with three single-span bridges across the Glenville Road to the south.

The viaduct is a curved structure of 13 spans carrying the double-line Belfast–Londonderry railway over the Three Mile Water, locally known as Valentine's Glen. It is constructed entirely of painted reinforced concrete, cast in situ. The southernmost span features a horizontal slab deck head and carries the Belfast–Larne line through at a highly skewed angle; the edge is inscribed 'LMS 1933 NCC' on both faces. The remaining 12 spans are of segmental profile and equal width. Two of these southern spans are blank, their infill walls enclosing the burrowing Larne line. The three deepest arches spanning the valley are the widest, with the southern arch spanning the actual river itself. These three major arches feature hollow spandrels with two vertical slabs extending upwards from the arch extrados to the deck underside on both sides of their crowns. Advanced piers rise to parapet level, functioning as pedestrian refuges, and falsework sockets mark the base of the piers. The remaining arches have solid spandrels decorated with banded rustication, which continues around the arch tops (signifying cast depth) and around the piers. Parapets are finished with vertically fluted panels on their outer faces and a string course along the base. Cantilevered pedestrian refuges project from the parapets above each pier, and advanced terminal piers occur at both viaduct ends.

When the Belfast–Ballymena railway opened in 1848, the line routed via Greenisland to avoid the expense of constructing a massive viaduct across Valentine's Glen. This dogleg required trains to reverse between Greenisland and Antrim, adding significantly to journey time. In the early 1930s, the Northern Counties Committee resolved to cut out the Greenisland detour and reduce journey time by 20–25 minutes. The Greenisland Loop Scheme entailed constructing this viaduct together with four other bridges at the Whiteabbey end and four en route to Monkstown. The project cost £250,000 (approximately £12 million in present-day values) and was directed by NCC Resident Engineer W.K. Wallace. The viaduct was completed in 1933 and the line opened in January 1934. The Antrim line subsequently closed to passengers in 1978. Translink began reopening work in 1999, which involved blast cleaning, concrete repairs, waterproofing and repainting this viaduct along with repairs to all associated bridges and laying of new track. The line reopened in June 2001.