Work to install €8.5m River Lee bridges continues despite event centre delays

The decision by Cork City Council to re-tender is in the wake of legal concerns that the level of State aid — potentially €87m — could fall foul of EU procurement rules.

While it was expected that a BAM/Live Nation consortium would be the only consortium involved in the retendering process, the developers of the Marina Market, spearheaded by Tom Coughlan, have recently expressed interest.

In the meantime, work on the bridges and surrounding streetscapes is pressing ahead, laying pieces of the jigsaw that it is hoped will eventually be completed when, and if, the event centre is finally built.

The main contractor for the bridges - Jons Civil Engineering Ltd - has been on site since mid-May.

Piled foundations for both bridges were installed in August and September, while the steel bridge structures are currently under fabrication in Co Carlow, with the first bridge due to be delivered in the first half of next year.

Installation of ducting for the undergrounding of overhead wires in the French’s Quay/Proby’s Quay area took place in October and November.

Both bridges were designed by ARUP Consulting Engineers, and a spokesperson for Cork City Council said the €8.5m cost “includes construction costs, design fees, supervision costs, ancillary costs, and contingencies”.

“The combined cost for the provision of the two pedestrian and cycle bridges at Proby’s Quay and Crosses Green is expected to cost around €8.5m (excl Vat),” the spokesperson said.

Both bridges, of steel construction, with the bridge deck suspended, are of a style similar to the Mardyke Bridge at Fitzgerald’s Park.

Both are designed for use by pedestrians and cyclists, with the northern bridge linking the reinstated Lamley’s Lane to Crosses’ Green and the southern bridge linking the site earmarked for the event centre on South Main St to French’s Quay/Proby’s Quay.

Lamley’s Lane, once part of medieval Cork, was reinstated during the overhaul of the four-acre former Beamish & Crawford brewery site by developers BAM, which was largely completed in 2020, with the exception of the event centre.

The event centre site is now largely used by contractors to store equipment.

While Lamley’s Lane is currently in use by the public — it runs between Lee Point student accommodation and the former Beamish buildings — the event centre site is closed off to pedestrians.

A spokesperson for Jons Civil Engineering Ltd said the bridges will make a huge difference to the area in terms of connectivity.

“At the moment, the river channel is a barrier to movement, but these bridges will make a big difference to pedestrians and cyclists.

“It’s all about improving urban connectivity and making the place more friendly,” the spokesperson said.

Jons, who built the Macroom bypass, are also looking after the flood defence and public realm progamme on Morrison’s Quay, which will deliver a 3m-wide riverside promenade and an improved streetscape.

Work is also under way to the front of the former Beamish and Crawford site, where a 7,000sq ft European-style public plaza is being constructed in front what was known as the brewery’s Counting House. It’s all part of a hugely ambitious, ongoing public realm programme by Cork City Council, which will see a comprehensive redevelopment of nearby Bishop Lucey Park, where Cumnor Construction is the main contractor.

As part of the scheme, the city-centre park will be renewed based on an award-winning architectural design by Hall Mc Knight Architects — opening up the park to the wider city centre.

The project, which is funded by the Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund, with support from the National Transport Authority and Cork City Council, will see streetscapes improved on a number of streets in and around Cork City centre, including South Main St, Tuckey St, French’s Quay, Proby’s Quay, Keyser’s Hill, Crosses’ Green, Wandesford Quay, and Hanover Place/Hanover St.

The scheme is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.