Tipperary County Council wishes to invite members of the public to participate in the non-statutory Public Consultation on the Emerging Preferred Option for the Ardfinnan Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge.
Ardfinnan Pedestrian & Cycle Bridge is currently in Phase 3, Preliminary Design. The purpose of Phase 3 is to assess and develop a designated crossing facility for pedestrians and cyclists over the River Suir and to allow for the commercial and housing premises in the north of the village to connect with the village amenities in the south. The project is referred to as Ardfinnan Pedestrian & Cycle Bridge.
Arup have been appointed by Tipperary County Council to provide multi-disciplinary engineering and other specialist consultancy services for the Preliminary Design Stage, i.e. Phase 3 of the project in accordance with the National Transport Authority (NTA) Project Approval Guidelines 2024. A breakdown of the individual NTA phases are shown below. While government funding has been allocated for the delivery and completion of Phase 3, there is currently no financial commitment for the future progression of the emerging preferred option.
The National Transport Authority provides grant allocations to local authorities for active travel projects on an annual basis. This level of funding is not sufficient to progress all schemes through planning, design and construction. Accordingly, the progression of projects must be phased in line with available funding and additional funding opportunities will have to be explored for subsequent phases of the project.
The objective of the Public Consultation Day is to gather information from the public about their experiences along with their thoughts on the preferred option and their preferences in this regard.
We are currently at Phase 3 and the image below shows the breakdown of the individual NTA phases.
Project Background
The project is to provide a safe and accessible pedestrian & cycle facility for all users across the River Suir at Ardfinnan, with minimal impact on the visual status and heritage value of the existing bridge and historic surroundings.
Existing Conditions
Presently, the bridge carries traffic from the R665 regional road. It has been reduced to a one-way system over the bridge due to insufficient width to accommodate a two-way vehicle carriageway and compliant pedestrian footpath. Currently a one-way ‘stop and go’ signalised system with a temporary pedestrian barrier is in operation to accommodate one-way traffic and to provide segregated pedestrian facilities across the bridge.
Project Specific Need
The existing pedestrian and cyclist facilities at Ardfinnan Bridge are temporary in nature and not aligned with current standards. Equally, a two-way vehicle carriageway without any safe or accessible pedestrian and cyclist facilities is not considered to be appropriate in the context of current national policies and plans. Given that the bridge does not have sufficient width to accommodate two-way vehicular traffic and a compliant footpath, a solution is required to provide safe and accessible pedestrian and cyclist facilities across the bridge.
The existing conditions in Ardfinnan causes community severance so providing connectivity between the north and south of Ardfinnan village is at the heart of this project. The project aim is to ensure safe passageway over the River Suir for all local users by providing pedestrian and cyclist facilities. These users include school children, parents, residents, and active travel users.
The connecting of the Ardfinnan community using sustainable modes for short trips allows for the strengthening of the local economy and community, whilst enhancing the amenities and surrounding heritage.
Project Development
In the previous phase, Phase 2, an optioneering assessment was carried out to investigate and develop feasible options for providing safe pedestrian and cyclist facilities across Ardfinnan Bridge. The emerging preferred option from this phase was an Independent Footbridge.
Now at Phase 3, the preliminary design of the emerging preferred option has been developed. The proposed Ardfinnan Pedestrian & Cycle Bridge is to be located adjacent to the eastern side of the existing Ardfinnan Bridge, connecting into Barrack St on the north bank and Main St on the south. The proposed bridge is to be curved in plan and is to have a maximum offset of 7.0 m from the eastern apron of the existing bridge. The location of the proposed bridge gives the opportunity for new sightlines of the historic Ardfinnan Castle and Mills to be created and allows for a high level of connectivity between north and south of the river.
The main aim of Phase 3 is to develop the Preliminary Business Case to ensure that the emerging preferred option meets current national standards and to put forward a robust preliminary design so that planning approval can be achieved in Phase 4 (funding dependent). The Preliminary Business Case will form the basis upon which the Approving Authority will use to decide if the emerging preferred option will progress to the next stage of the project.
Baseline Ecological and Archaeological surveys have been completed which will be inputted into the EIA and AA Screening. However, it is anticipated that an Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) and a Natura Impact Assessment (NIS) will be required, with statutory approval obtained through An Bórd Pleanála (ABP).
Key Objectives
The project objectives are as follows:
- The primary objective of the project is to provide safe and accessible pedestrian and cyclist facilities across Ardfinnan Bridge
- To promote active travel and encourage sustainable travel alternatives.
- Achieve the primary objectives while minimizing impacts on the fabric and heritage of the existing Ardfinnan Bridge.
- To ensure the project (either during construction or in the permanent condition) will not result in significant adverse effects to the Lower River Suir SAC.
- To ensure the project aligns with and supports the relevant National Plans and Policies.
What’s Happening Now
The Project is currently at Phase 3 Preliminary Design Stage. The purpose of Phase 3 is to develop and investigate in further detail the emerging preferred option from Phase 2 and to progress the design.
The Public Consultation period on the current design status of the Independent Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge is planned from 04th December to 31st January 2025.
There will be an in-person event day to display the current design. The location and date of the event is as follows:
- 19th December 2024, 14:00 - 20:00, Ardfinnan Community Centre, Ardfinnan Village, County Tipperary, E91 TH94
This consultation will inform the preparation of the Preliminary Design with General Arrangement Drawings, Photomontages and a Scheme Fly-by visualisation being presented on the day. All the display material from the Public Consultation Event Day, along with the feedback form can be accessed via a link here.
If you have any questions about the above project, please contact the project team via email: ArdfinnanBridgeProject@arup.com