MEANS SHORTER JOURNEYS
up for justice.
Wexford County Council Chairman Michael Sheehan said the bypass and bridge will define the lives of the people of south Kilkenny and south Wexford for the next century.
‘It is our moment of destiny. The completion of this bridge and bypass is truly a marvel of modern ingenuity. The impact of a world quality icon outside of our town is about to be felt. Our time has come. The message that should go out is that south Wexford is now open and ready for business.’
He said: ‘This is the culmination of our hopes and dreams, aspirations and history. The defining moment of our time. A bridge to a better future. The river defines who we are, as community, as traders, travellers and custodians of the elements. The torch has been passed to our generation. The future is ours to shape. It is with that same sense of trepidation and faith that we now look to that future with the same wonder and the same awe of what is to come.’
Cllr Sheehan said the completion of the bypass and bridge is truly a marvel of modern ingenuity. ‘Here we stand in what was an area in which our forefathers once would have toiled and fished. Indeed, with local talent we have made a mark on our area. And in this regard, I would like to mention one of our own, Mary Bowe as an engineer on this structure.
‘This is a road to a better New Ross, opening up South Wexford to a road to a better South East bringing prosperity to all. It gives our area much needed room to grow and expand. And a bridge to a better future for our people. It is now a chance for the councils to press the reset buttons for our area and redefine South Wexford for the next 100 years. It is with high hopes, brimming hearts and a sense of achievement to have you all here at what will be the most defining moment of history in our lifetimes as a county. For now we are surrounded by modern carriageways giving us access to a market of up to one million people. This day has been well fought for and well deserved. Thousands of hours, challenges, hurdles and determined minds have gotten us here.’
Kilkenny County Council Chairman Peter Cleere described the bridge as an engineering wonder. ‘For generations to come the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge and the adjoining roads will be used and admired for everyone.’
At the close of the speeches Cllr Sheehan presented a painting by artist Sean Curran of the bridge to Mr Varadkar and Cllr Cleere presented a painting by local artist Maeve Doherty to Ms Kennedy Townsend. Photographs of the bridge were presented to His Excellency Ambassador Ildefonso Castro of Spain and Transport Infrastructure Ireland CEO Michael Nolan.
More than 300 companies and 1,000 people worked on the project delivered by the BAM/ ACS consortium on behalf of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), and Wexford and Kilkenny County Councils.
The new bypass will significantly ease chronic traffic congestion in New Ross town offering time savings of up to 30 minutes.
Between 15,000 and 20,000 cars a day are expected to travel across the bridge, which was designed by ARUP and Carlos Fernandes Casado SL. and is estimated to have cost around €90m to build. The state’s €230m investment in the New Ross project came in on budget, a project spokesperson said.
BAM CEO Theo Cullinane said the company was proud to have funded and delivered another vital piece of infrastructure for the state. ‘We are delighted to say that this project was delivered successfully. This team completed this visually stunning bridge.’
He said there was no environmental issue during construction and the import and export of all materials was minimised through the processing and reuse of on site materials as general fill and in the pavement layers.
‘It is fantastic to see the N25 New Ross Bypass opened today. This is a crucial piece of infrastructure for the South East Region and it will have an immediate, tangible impact on the local community, who will enjoy reduced travel times and increased accessibility. The N25 is a strategic national route that carries both tourist and commercial traffic between Cork and Rosslare and it will improve connectivity across Munster and Leinster. Last year saw the opening of the M11
Gorey to Enniscorthy motorway, another PPP scheme co-delivered by BAM that has delivered significant benefits to the south east region.’
He said the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge has generated a lot of excitement in the area, describing it as a bold, innovative piece of construction.
‘I am certain it is set to become an iconic part of the landscape of Ireland.’
People attending the opening availed of the opportunity to walk across the bridge to the Kilkenny side and take in the views. The bridge was buzzing with activity, including the appearance of a drone overhead. Social media sites Twitter, Facebook and Instagram was lit up with images of the opening and the bypass and bridge were busy was curious motorists taking a spin or two on the new surface over recent days,
A TII spokesperson said: ‘The bypass and the bridge brought together the best of both local and international expertise culminating in one of the world’s longest extrados bridges which I think we can all agree, is a magnificent structure. O’Hanrahan Bridge has served the people of the area very well for over 50 years but it has earned its gentle retirement.’
The work of everyone involved in the project, including Wexford County Council project liaison officer Sean Dobbs, director of services for roads Eamonn Hore and the team at Mott McDonald was praised.