Plan to rehabilitate Laois bridge saved from concrete inch forward

Work on a bridge that a community fought hard to keep is inching forward with companies set to be asked to bid for the contract to refurbish it by the end of March 2023.

That was the news revealed to Laois County Councillors at a meeting in the run up to Christmas regarding the Woodenbridge project near Ballacolla.

Cllr John King, Fine Gael, tabled a motion asking for the Council to give an update on when work will commence as they had agreed to give the go ahead for work to be done earlier in 2022.

Cllr King said a lot of work has been done by public representatives and local people to have the bridge rebuilt as in wood and steel rather than being replaced by a concrete structure as had been proposed by the council.

Cllr King said that the wait for work is having an impact.

“I have been contacted by farmers living in the area and there is weight restriction on the bridge. It is up to us to put pressure on to get a start date,” he said.

He added that public representatives must keep up the pressure for the work to be done so that the bridge is overhauled with its character retained.

His view was shared by Cllr Ollie Clooney, Independent, who was concerned about the condition of the existing bridge.

“It is in a dangerous condition…It is on a busy road and serves the people well. That bridge is very, very important,” he said.
Mr. Edmond Kenny, District Engineer, replied to the motion in writing.

“Tender documents will be prepared and published in the first quarter of 2023 for bridge rehabilitation works on the Wooden Bridge,” he said.

The issue was raised at the December meeting of the Borris-in-Ossory Mountmellick Municipal District in County Hall Portlaoise.
The revised plan for the Woodenbridge on the River Erkina was approved by county councillors in May 2022.

The rehabilitation will increase the load carrying capacity of the bridge to the required 40 tonnes which will allow the lifting of restrictions.

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The rehabilitation works will involve:

• Strengthening of the bridge deck by increasing the number of steel beams.
• Strengthening of the foundations behind the existing abutments.
• Retain/replace the existing steel checker plate surfacing;
• Retain the character and material composition of the existing deck, i.e. a wooden deck;
• Retain the light steel parapet.

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A large crowd turned out in March 202 to protest against proposals to rebuild a famous bridge built in the 1930s with railway sleepers and steel girders.

It was among the factors that caused the council to think again on the destruction of the original bridge.