Winner 2021

Award for
Vehicle Bridges

Project Description

A nine-span, three-tower, extradosed bridge with a single central plane of cables supporting four traffic lanes. At 887m, the bridge is considered the longest in Ireland. Its two main spans of 230m each are the longest post-tensioned extradosed concrete spans globally. This landmark was designed to complement its surroundings and environment.

Judge’s comments

The 887m long, nine-span, three-tower extradosed concrete bridge rises 36m over the water to provide navigational clearance for access to the Port of New Ross. The structure is impressive in scale and slenderness. It holds multiple records, including the longest bridge in Ireland, the longest concrete extradosed spans in the world and, during construction, the longest balanced cantilever for concrete deck extradosed bridges in the world.

To reduce materials required, high strength concrete was used, and precast panels were introduced on the cantilevers to minimise the cross-section weight. A long service life is ensured through careful detailing and specification of materials with provision for structural health monitoring systems and maintenance.

State of the art structural analysis tools, such as explicit time dependent creep curves and step-by-step non-linear iterative analysis, were used during the complex construction. The result is a highly optimised structural design and statement piece of engineering.

Project overview

Structural Designer

  • Arup / Carlos Fernandez Casado S.L.

Client Name

  • Transport Infrastructure Ireland

Location

  • Wexford and Kilkenny, Ireland

Architect

  • Carlos Fernandez Casado S.L.

Principal Contractor

  • BAM Civil Ltd. & Dragados Ireland Ltd.

Key Contractors

  • Mott MacDonald and Ron Yee – Concept Design and Aesthetics 

    PMCE Consultants – Road Safety Auditor 

    Eptisa and Siegrist y Moreno Engineering Ltd. – Third Party Checker

    Flynn Furney Environmental Consultants – Ecologist 

    Images: © 1 - Royston Palmer, 2 - insta_mavic, 3 - Arup

Year Submitted

  • 2020