Senator George Mitchell Peace Bridge

[2] This older bridge, which also spanned the Woodford River, was destroyed on 21 November 1972 by Ulster Loyalists during The Troubles.

[3] It was quickly replaced by a temporary bridge, but following the detonation of a bomb in the nearby market town of Belturbet the following month, the British Government decided to leave the bridge in a state of disrepair and demolish the temporary structure.

Local traffic had to undertake a 12-mile (19 km) detour, severing communities and leading to economic decline in the area, with many businesses in Belturbet closing.

It is 30 metres (98 ft) long, with 15 metres (49 ft) in County Fermanagh and the remainder in County Cavan, and was named after the United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland, George J. Mitchell, who acted as chairman in the Irish peace process talks that led to the Good Friday Agreement the previous year.

[6] Of the proposed £1,930,720 cost, £1,061,250 was pledged to be funded by the EU Special Support Programme for Peace and Reconciliation.