SUPPORT for the €280m N22 Baile Bhuirne to Macroom road development has come from Spain.
A 121-metre bridge has journeyed from Seville to the Gaeltacht Mhuscraí for part of the 22km scheme. After many months of planning, it took 20 trucks to bring the structure to site, eight of which required skilled drivers and garda escorts.
Beams for the bridge were manufactured by Tecade SA in Seville and shipped to the Port of Cork for onward delivery to the Bohill River.
They were then assembled to form a two-span 121-metre-long structure to be ‘pushed launched’ over the River Bohill to form 80.5 and 40.5 metre spans. The beams are expected to be fully in place in April 2021.
Cork county mayor Cllr Mary Linehan Foley welcoming the progress, and said: ‘It must be encouraging for the local community to see the work progressing on the ground.
‘The bridge delivery and construction are a remarkable feat of engineering that has involved a great deal of planning and cooperation. Well done to all involved in progressing this step in a hugely significant infrastructural project for the region.’
Mary Flynn, project engineer Cork County Council, added: ‘We are delighted to have reached a stage where people in the locality can see key elements of the project progressing.
‘The construction of the Bohill Bridge was always going to be one of the most challenging structures to build, particularly given the confined nature of the site. Great credit is due to the contractor and the wider project team for successfully reaching this point.’
The N22 Baile Bhuirne to Macroom Road Development is a critical transport infrastructure project and continues to progress under Level 5 restrictions with the appropriate control measures in place.
