Blackhall Place and Macken Street Bridges

ref Dublin Corporation press release January 1999 Design of Blackhall Place & Macken Street Bridges. Appointment of Santiago Calatrava Valls

ref http://www.independent.ie/1999/355/d09i.shtml

Does anyone know of any progress on these two projects?

[This message has been edited by gah (edited 05 April 2000).]

Why not enquire at http://www.dublincorp.ie ?

I keep an eye on the Corpo’s site for news – I think there was meant to be an EIA by the end of March but I haven’t heard any news about it.

per email from Corpo Press Office

“There is an EIS beginning on the O’Connell st Monument (the Monument of Light)
and also the Macken St bridge.
This takes a few weeks. Then the public can view the results for 4 weeks and
the Minister makes a decision within the following 2 weeks. Then building
begins.”
6-4-2000

Eis at
http://www.dublincorp.ie/services/mackennt.html

Picture at http://www.dublincorp.ie/pics/guild.jpg

Did they get Planning Permission?

There’s an oil rig in the Liffey there now.

Most likely digging trial holes,site investigation etc.

Can anyone point me to a picture of the Macken Street design?

http://www.dublincorp.ie/news2.htm
do a site search under “macken”

[This message has been edited by LOB (edited 24 April 2001).]

The Macken Street Bridge will look pretty good i think. Looking forward to seeing it built.

Not really in favour of a ‘coathanger’ type bridge for anywhere along the city centre stretch of the Liffey. For me, that type of design is more at home spanning a very wide river, joining two headlands or traversing a canyon!
Also, i think that type of bridge would be a bit too much of a visual barrier

Isn’t the Macken Street bridge going to be able to swivel sidewards to let boats pass?

Bridge aficionados might like to take a look at Wilkinson Eyre’s new “rotating eyelid” bridge in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, courtesy of that city’s webcams:
http://www.tynebridgewebcam.co.uk/webcams.htm

It’s in place (obviously) but not rotating yet.

I saw that bridge been manoeveured into placve on Sky News. Magnificent idea. Should be very exciting to watch opening and closing.

There doesnt seem to be a picture of the Blackhall Place bridge design around?

There is a picture of the proposed Blackhall Place bridge by Santiago Calatrava on page 310 of Frank McDonald’s book “The Construction of Dublin”.

There is also a picture of the Calatrava bridge for Macken Street on page 89. Apparently the pylon for that bridge is going to be a high as Liberty Hall.

It may be of interest to note that the Dutch city of Rotterdam built a huge ‘Calatravaesqe’ bridge a few years ago (by one of Calatrava’s students) that they now use as a symbol of that city – for promotional literature etc.

DARA

Here’s a direct link to that picture of the macken. http://www.dublincorp.ie/traffic/mackennt.html

Mark http://archibot.com

Well there’s definitely work going on down at the site of the Blackhall Place bridge.

That picture of the Blackhall Street Bridge is almost certainly a redesign.
The original was far taller, far bulkier and was equal on both sides.
Either it was an unflattering picture or this is a changed version.
This one looks far more attractives and fits in far better with the streetscape.
Previous pictures made the bridge look very obtrusive.
Have to agree with one contributor who said Calatrava bridge is more suitable on a wide stretch of river.
Although his bridge in Bilbao is not a particularly wide span.
However, where that one works is in having wider boulevards on either side of the river.
The quays make the entire area from one side of Liffey to other very squat and skinny.

“The original was far taller, far bulkier and was equal on both sides.”
It still is equal kefu, it is just the effects of perspective.

[This message has been edited by LOB (edited 25 May 2001).]

If that effect is just perspective, it would make the bridge about ten or twelve metres wide.

And considering it’s a pedestrian bridge, that would seem very excessive.

It has four lanes of traffic.

As I’ve said time and time again the surrounding squalid environment detracts from the bridge too!

I totally agree with Gregf
-have the corporation plans to build a road beyond the bridge,I think I remember notices for CPO’s in that area
Kefu/ the arches of the bridge are splayed outwards so the effects of perspective are exaggerated

Blackhall Place Bridge

Does anyone know when this bridge is scheduled to open?

Thanks

Not moving forward at any kind of rapid pace. Probably late this year if not next!