Roe Bridge (Railway), Carrowmuddle, Ballykelly, Limavady, Co Londonderry

The Roe Bridge (Railway) is a pre-Second World War railway bridge built between 1920 and 1939, located near Ballykelly in County Londonderry. It carries a single railway line across the River Roe, close to where the river enters Lough Foyle. The bridge’s design employs trabeated construction, meaning it uses horizontal beams to support the track, and is composed of long, rectangular concrete piers (each 15 meters long) supported by 10 piles. Four large, precast concrete T-beams span between these piers, directly supporting the ballasted track. Concrete parapets run along each side of the bridge. The bridge itself is 335 feet long, with an additional 130 feet of approach embankments. The pier surfaces are well finished, displaying broad, marked formwork. The bridge is approached from the south by an embankment, while the ground on the north bank is higher and lacks an embankment. The bridge’s construction is considered a practical and utilitarian solution. Some beams on the Lough Foyle side show signs of erosion, exposing the reinforcing material.

The construction method was introduced by the railway company’s engineer W K Wallace, but construction was supervised by his successor, Cain, who had secured the purchase of a 36-ton steam crane to lift the heavy T-beams into place. A similar, but shorter, bridge was previously constructed over the River Faughan. The Roe bridge was completed in 1938, and it was noted to have been carried out quickly, reflecting the Northern Counties Committee’s (NCC) civil engineering department’s skill. The original bridges over the Roe and Faughan were lattice girder structures supported by timber piling and wooden decks. Goods traffic began on the Limavady to Coleraine line in 1852, followed by passenger traffic two days later. The bridge is of industrial archaeological interest.