Cork public invited to suggest names for new pedestrian bridge over busy dual carriageway

People in Cork are being invited to suggest names for the city’s newest bridge, which is being put into place on Thursday night over the busy N40 ring road to provide pedestrian and cycle access to more than 60 hectares of parkland.

Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Deirdre Forde said the bridge will provide connectivity for people living in Grange and Frankfield on the southern hills of Cork with the Tramore Valley Park on the site of the city’s former dump.

“It will allow people opt for active travel. It means we are moving a step closer to the completion of a project that will mean people can walk or cycle for leisure, work or to get to school or college from Grange and Frankfield to Tramore Valley Park, Douglas and on into the city centre,” she said.

Cllr Forde said Cork City Council was inviting members of the public to suggest names for the bridge, as happened with the Mary Elmes Bridge over the north channel of the Lee in 2019 when the public made suggestions and the council then voted on their five top suggestions.

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“Suggested names which honour, celebrate or remember a person, group or events of significance that have helped to shape the City of Cork will be considered,” she said.

The bridge, funded by the National Transport Agency, is some 63 metres long and comprises two sections. The main section is 46 metres long and five metres wide and is of a “bow arch” construction, the council said. It “will form an iconic and highly visible element of the scheme and will become a landmark for future generations”, a spokesperson added.

The main contractor, Jons Civil Engineering, began construction of the scheme last July and

the bridge was built by Thompson of Carlow, who also built the Mary Elmes Bridge. It will be lifted into place on Thursday night into Friday morning using a 650 tonne crane.

The southern bridge section, which crosses the Lower Harbour and City Watermain, is 16m long, 5.16m wide and 1 metre high. This section was lifted into place a few weeks ago.

The bridge, which is expected to open to the public by the autumn, will be accessed by a strengthened embankment via the southern bridge on the south side and a concrete ramp and stairs on the north side connecting into Tramore Valley Park.

Name suggestions for the bridge can be submitted to the council online or via post in envelopes marked ‘Grange to Tramore Valley Park Bridge Naming’ to Barbara Creed, Administrative Officer, Infrastructure Development, City Hall, Cork, T12 T997 or emailed directly to barbara_creed@corkcity.ie. The closing date is 4pm on April 28th.