The components for the new bascule bridge in Waterford, Ireland, are now being delivered. The new 207m bridge will be for pedestrians and cyclists and forms part of the North Quays project in County Waterford. Work to realign Abbey Road and Dock Road should be finished in July 2025 and October 2025, respectively.
Hewson was commissioned by Waterford City Council to undertake a check of this 207m-long, five-span active travel bridge spanning the River Suir in central Waterford. The central span features twin leaf bascules that open to provide a 25m-wide navigable channel with unrestricted height. The firm explains that the deck is an orthotropic steel box which is integral with the reinforced concrete piers. The bascule leaves are supported on mechanical trunnion bearings that allow a vertical pivot movement about a horizontal axis. During movement and while the bridge is in the raised position, each leaf is supported by the trunnion bearings and actuators.
The steel deck superstructure has been made at Victor Buyck Steel Construction’s production plant in Ghent, Belgium. The sections are being transported in four sections by barges from Ghent through the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal, English Channel and Irish Sea to Belview Port and then to the site at Waterford North Quays. Installation should take around a week to complete and the bridge should finally be open for use at the end of 2026.
