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Ireland’s longest bridge wins IABSE award in country first

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Clare O'Loughlin Clare O'Loughlin Europe Press Office, Ireland
22 June 2021

Ireland’s Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge over the River Barrow has been awarded the 2021 International Association of Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE) Outstanding Structure Award. Part of the country’s strategic N25 New Ross Bypass, the win marks the first time an Irish project has secured the prestigious global award for the most remarkable, innovative and creative structures.

Recognised under the ‘Bridge or Other Infrastructures’ category, the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge has pushed the boundaries for the span of concrete extrados bridges. The outstanding structure, Ireland’s longest bridge at 887m in length, holds other records: at 230m each, its two main spans are the longest post-tensioned concrete spans in the world.

Ireland’s Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge over the River Barrow has been awarded the 2021 International Association of Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE) Outstanding Structure Award.

The Outstanding Structure Award recognises the innovative teamwork of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), Wexford and Kilkenny County Councils, the designers Arup and Carlos Fernandez Casado (CFC), contractors BAM and Dragados and technical advisors for the scheme Mott MacDonald.

Accepting the award, TII CEO Peter Walsh said: “I want to thank IABSE for this recognition of engineering excellence and making the bridge a member of a very elite group of iconic structures. This prestigious international award showcases the bridge to a global audience and everyone who contributed to the development of this magnificent structure can feel justifiably proud of this achievement.”

The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge over the River Barrow has received numerous awards, including the 2020 ACEI Project of the Year and Engineers Ireland’s Engineering Infrastructure and Buildings award.

“ Over a period of four years, our international design and construction team collaborated on this record-breaking bridge to create a landmark structure. We’re thrilled to have been involved in bringing the IABSE Outstanding Structure Award to Ireland for the first time. ” Marcos Sanchez Marcos Sanchez Director

Arup and CFC are continuing to work together on the New Harbor Bridge, which is currently under construction by Flatiron/Dragados LLC in Corpus Christi, Texas and is set to become the world’s longest precast segmental span.

The Beijing Daxing International Airport Terminal in China was presented with the 2021 IABSE Outstanding Structure Award in the ‘Building or Other Structure’ category.

Project

N25 New Ross Bypass PPP Scheme

Ireland’s longest bridge, part of the strategic bypass of New Ross town, provides breathtaking views of the Barrow river area, as well as significantly improving connectivity in the south-east of the country.

Read more about this project