Project history of Dublin's River Liffey bridges

Abstract

A significant geographical feature of Dublin, the capital of the Republic of Ireland, is that the River Liffey divides the city into the north side and south side. As there has always been significant traffic needing to cross the river, ancient fords and ferries gave way to a series of bridges. It is assumed that the first stone bridge across the River Liffey was built in the thirteenth century. Most of the surviving bridge infrastructure was built in the nineteenth century. Four road bridges were built in the twentieth century. The first bridge crossing in the twenty-first century was a footbridge commissioned in 2000. A further road crossing was completed in June 2003 and a sixteenth crossing is under consideration. A significant departure for Dublin was engaging an international designer for these latter bridges. The historical progression of river crossings is described and linked to a comprehensive set of 16 photographs. Historical reviews are provided of the approach used in bridge design and construction, the time and cost outcomes, the principals contracted to deliver the bridges, and certain aspects of the construction where such information was recorded. All original imperial measurements are also given in metric, and for ease of comparison all monetary values are given in Irish pounds (€1 = 1R£0·78).