Seán_Heuston_Bridge

Seán Heuston Bridge

Seán Heuston Bridge

Bridge over the River Liffey in Ireland

Seán Heuston Bridge (Irish: Droichead Seán Heuston)[2] is a cast-iron bridge spanning the River Liffey beside Heuston Station in Dublin, Ireland.[3] It was previously named King's Bridge and Sarsfield Bridge - and the bridge and adjacent train station are still commonly referred to by older Dubliners as "Kings Bridge" and "Kings Bridge Station" respectively. Previously used for road traffic, the bridge now carries pedestrian and Luas (tram) traffic.

Quick Facts Seán Heuston Bridge Droichead Seán Heuston, Coordinates ...
Luas tram crossing Heuston Bridge from Wolfetone Avenue towards Heuston station

History

Origins

Originally designed by George Papworth[4] to carry horsedrawn traffic, the foundation stone was laid on 12 December 1827. The iron castings for the bridge were produced at the Royal Phoenix Iron Works in nearby Parkgate Street.[5] (The foundry which also produced the parapets for the upstream Lucan Bridge). Construction completed in 1828, and the bridge was opened with the name Kings Bridge to commemorate a visit by King George IV in 1821.[1]

The bridge has an overall width of just under 9 meters.[5]

Renamings

Naming plaque - Seán Heuston Bridge

In 1923 the bridge was renamed as Sarsfield Bridge after Patrick Sarsfield (1655–1693), and in 1941 it was again renamed as the Seán Heuston Bridge for Seán Heuston (1891–1916), who was executed for his part in the 1916 Easter Rising.[1]

Luas

After the Frank Sherwin Bridge was opened nearby in the 1980s, Seán Heuston Bridge was no longer used to carry road traffic.[4] It was restored in 2003 and now carries Luas tram traffic on the red line.[6]

References

  1. [1]
    Project history of Dublin's River Liffey bridges (PDF). Bridge Engineering 156 Issue BE4 (Report). Phillips & Hamilton.
  2. [2]
    "Droichead Seán Heuston / Sean Heuston Bridge". Logainm.ie - Database of Placenames' Commission.
  3. [3]
    Seán Heuston Bridge at Structurae
  4. [4]
    "Heuston Bridge Dublin". Archiseek. Archived from the original on 15 December 2007.
  5. [5]
    Cox, Ronald C.; Gould, M.H. (1998). Civil Engineering Heritage : Ireland. Thomas Telford. p. 47. ISBN 0-7277-2627-7.
  6. [6]
    Sixth report of the Light Rail Advisory & Action Group to the Minister for Public Enterprise (PDF) (Report). Department of Transport. 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 October 2007.
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