The new Luas bridge across the busy Taney Road junction in Dundrum, Co Dublin, will become known as the "Golden Gate of the Southside", the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, predicted yesterday.
Mr Brennan joined construction workers and engineers for a brief ceremony to mark the bridging of the last remaining gap in the bridge.
In recent weeks crowds of several hundred onlookers have gathered on the road under the bridge to watch and cheer as the massive concrete sections have been slotted into place.
The final section was secured last Friday, so - wearing a hard hat - the Minister climbed a ladder on to the bridge and tightened a stress block with the help of a remote control device.
"It's fantastic, an amazing feat of engineering," he said.
"The bridge is well on its way to becoming one of the most recognised new landmarks in Dublin and with its scale and span it is only a matter of time before it becomes known as the Golden Gate of the Southside," he said.
"It is an impressive combination of original design, technical expertise and truly impressive construction methods. One can well imagine the excitement it will create, for passengers and onlookers, when the Luas trains are running on the line."
The new chief executive of the Railway Procurement Agency, Mr Frank Allen was on hand to update the Minister on the progress of the bridge.
It was five weeks ahead of schedule and would be completed by November, he said.
Work began on the structure, the only cable-stayed bridge in the State, last October. The design was for an asymmetric single pylon bridge with a span of more than 100 metres.
It consists of a 50m high A-frame which resembles an inverted tuning fork. Engineers from Dublin, Northern Ireland and the UK were involved in creating a structure which is the most impressive part of the Luas line from Sandyford to St Stephen's Green. When completed, it will be possible to walk or cycle on the bridge beside the Luas trains.
The line, which is due for completion at the end of 2003, follows the route of the disused Harcourt Street to Bray line which was abandoned in the mid-1950s and the massive bridge was demolished.
