Footbridge at Mount Prospect Manor

Footbridge at Mount Prospect Manor, Edmondstown Road, Rathfarnham


The footbridge consists of two steel sections resting on a cast-concrete pier on the bank of the Owendoher River. Before opening to the public the bridge was assessed on behalf of South Dublin County Council by a Consultant Structural Engineer.  He examined both relevant design documents and the bridge as constructed.   His report required a number of small-scale remedial works which were completed to his satisfaction by July 2008 and the bridge made open to the public.

During recent engineering works related to the Boherboy Watermain Project, Council engineers expressed concern about the base of the cast-concrete central pier of the bridge.  The bridge was inspected by Parks Department staff, the Consultant Engineer and subsequently by the County Architect who is responsible for Dangerous Structures as regulated by the Sanitary Services Act.

As a result of these inspections it was discovered that the central pier was not cast directly onto bedrock as designed.  It had not been possible to examine the foundation of the pier which was buried at the time of the Consultant Engineer’s original inspection but documentation submitted by the developer at that time confirmed that the pier was constructed directly onto bedrock.

The scouring effect of the river since then has exposed the bottom of the pier which does not sit fully onto bedrock and has recently become unstable as a result.

The bridge is not safe for public use and the Council was forced to close it to public access on June 28th 2012.  The central pier will require remediation or replacement and this is now under technical examination.  Remediation design and tender process will take 10-12 weeks.  Information will continue to be made available as matters advance.

The Council very much regrets the closure of the bridge and is fully aware of the local inconvenience that this is causing. The Council is endeavouring to have the bridge made safe as quickly as possible, having regard to the significant issues involved, so that it can be made available again for public use.