Some of the parts weighed over 400 tons

Ireland’s largest crane working on the bypass(Image: Sisk)

Every day, hard-working construction crews across Ireland are carrying out vital work to improve our infrastructure. Now, with the Ryder Cup coming to Limerick next year, work on the Adare bypass is progressing quickly.

A section of the new bypass spans the River Maigue, and crews have recently completed a major step in the project by installing the supports for a new bridge.

It was a serious feat of engineering with the largest crane available across the UK and Ireland being brought in to carry out the lifts. The bridge supports consist of nine pairs of metal girders, the heaviest of which weigh over 400 tonnes.

It’s a careful operation where a lot can go wrong, but the workers weren’t fazed, and each section of the bridge was methodically lifted into place over the course of two weeks. You can see the impressive operation in action in the video below.

The project is a joint venture between construction firms Sisk and Sorensen, with around €150 million being invested into the completion of the new bypass.

The project includes the new 200m bridge, around 7 km of new motorway from Croagh to Adare, two new junctions and a series of connections to existing local and national roads.

Now that the bridge supports have been lifted into place, the next phase of the project can begin. This will include the installation of a precast bridge deck, waterproofing, and the surfacing of the road itself.

Here in Cork, our own crews are carrying out equally impressive, although smaller-scale, work for the M28 project

In recent weeks, crews shut down traffic on a section of the N28 to complete the installation of a new temporary bridge at Maryborough Hill.

The installation marks another major step forward on the long-awaited motorway project, which is set to transform travel between Cork city and Ringaskiddy.

The €456 million scheme is one of the biggest transport projects Cork has seen in decades and is expected to be completed by summer 2028.