Spike Bridge reopens in Wexford despite safety concerns

A bridge in Wexford was forced to close last week…

The bridge, located in Courtown Woods, was forced to close down temporarily due to “health and safety concerns.” This timber bridge was once an Iron spiked bridge which workers on Lord Courtown’s estate used.

The decision was made by Coillte to close the bridge “until further notice”. A sign was erected and a fenced gate was placed at both ends of the bridge to stop people walking across the culturally significant and historical Wexford bridge.

The bridge remains a vital and integral part of local walkways. It is also the only viable route from the new Courtown road footpath down to the harbour. Access from the Ballymoney Road across the river to Courtown was not possible when it was closed.

Concerns were raised by local community groups in Courtown following its closure. The concerns mostly concerned communication related, as Coillte did not put a time-frame on when the bridge would re-open to the public. They stated that the bridge required “funding to upgrade, replace, and make safe the existing structure,” but that this funding remained pending. It is believed that they are looking to make Spike Bridge wheelchair accessible – and local residents are in favour of upgrading the bridge, but within a specific time-frame and when funding has become available.

Lorraine O’Dwyer, from Gallivanting tours and Wexford Walking trails, did not deem the bridge to be so dangerous that it needed to be closed:

“While the bridge does need some repair, it’s far from being so dangerous that it must be closed immediately,” she said.

Spike Bridge has since been re-opened to the public, despite the initial safety concerns raised by Coillte.

A Wexford County Councillor, Joe Sullivan – who helped to re-open the bridge in the Courtown Forest, stated the following:

“It’s great to see the Spike Bridge open again. I made significant representations to the Minister for Forestry on Friday the 28/2/2025 in relation to this matter hence the bridge is now open again. However, there are still works to be done on the bridge to upgrade it and I will be applying pressure to ensure the are done as soon as possible.”

The bridge still needs to be repaired, but it served to highlight the issue of communication.

Works were since carried out on the bridge safe to enable the bridge to be re-opened on the weekend of 08 March.

Advertise on Wexford Weekly