Work on landmark cycleway bridge in Athlone about to begin
Work on the construction of Athlone's new cycleway bridge over the River Shannon is due to start before the end of this month, with Easter 2023 targeted as the date when it would open to the public.
A contact worth €13 million was awarded to Meath-based firm Jons Civil Engineering Ltd for the construction of both the bridge and the cantilevered boardwalks that will connect with it on both sides of the river.
The contract for the project was awarded on August 22, and a meeting was arranged between between the contractor and Westmeath County Council on Tuesday to discuss the specifics of the construction plan.
It's anticipated that there will be an official 'sod turning' event in the coming weeks to mark both the start of the cycleway bridge project and the opening of the new White Gates to Athlone Marina section of the cycleway.
The signing of the contract for the bridge is a significant milestone in the development of a project which has been in the pipeline for almost five years now.
Described in a planning document as a "landmark structure" of 104 metres, with ramps leading up to it on either side, it was granted planning permission by An Bord Pleanála in November 2017.
Preliminary site investigation work took place on the river in the summer of 2020 which involved drilling trial holes for foundations in the river bed.
The bridge, which is set be one of the most significant features of the Dublin to Galway cycleway, will cross the Shannon from the Radisson Blu Hotel to the Luan Gallery and will be supported by a central pier in the river.
The contractor for the work, Jons Civil Engineering, is based in Duleek, Meath, and had a reported turnover of €36.8 million in 2019.
This is not the first time the company has carried out work in connection with the cycleway in Athlone, as it previously installed the €4m underpass beneath the railway line at Montree which forms part of the White Gates to Athlone Marina section that is due to open later this month.
At this week's meeting of the Athlone Moate Municipal District, Cllr John Dolan asked how the marina would by impacted by the construction of the cycleway bridge and was told that some marina berths would be removed for a time during the project but these would subsequently be reinstated.
"(The affected berths) will be removed at a point in time before the new bridge is lifted into position, and they will be reinstated again afterwards.
"But the time that they will be out of use will be kept to a minimum and the remainder of the marina will continue to operate, by and large, over the full contract period," said council Director of Services Barry Kehoe.