Work starts on Liffey boardwalk

The first section of the River Liffey Boardwalk was lowered into place yesterday.

The first section of the River Liffey Boardwalk was lowered into place yesterday.

The entire boardwalk will stretch a third of a mile from O'Connell Bridge to Grattan, or Capel Street, Bridge, along the north quays, and the target date for its opening is early to mid-October.

There will be eight entry points to the boardwalk, which will be at the level of the footpath, making it easily accessible to wheelchairs and baby buggies.

The walkway will be suspended over the water, and the timber structure will be supported by steel brackets attached to the quay wall. A lighting system will provide strong illumination at night.

READ MORE

The project will cost £2 million, and the Millennium Committee has awarded £1.5 million to it.

Yesterday the committee's chairman, the Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach, Mr Seamus Brennan, inspected the first section of the boardwalk, from O'Connell Bridge to the Ha'penny Bridge, with the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Alderman Maurice Ahern, the Deputy City Manager, Mr Owen Keegan, and the Dublin city architect, Mr Jim Barrett.

"As Dublin changes and expands it is all the more vital that the very heart of the city should be a place that is visually appealing and with a friendly, relaxed atmosphere that all can enjoy," the Minister said.

The Lord Mayor said the boardwalk would draw the city together by removing the barrier between street and river. "It is further evidence that Dublin city can take its place among the chic capitals of Europe," he said.

The Millennium Committee's press officer, Mr Tom Rowley, said the boardwalk would take the form of a decking platform four metres wide, bounded by a ship's rail. There would also be coffee areas, which would be franchised out, possibly to nearby hotels.

"Nearly every other city in Europe has a promenade or walk beside the river, and there will be benches, refreshment kiosks and craft stalls," he said.

The Millennium Committee has also allocated £500,000 for the completed "Liffey of Lights" project, the permanent illumination of 13 bridges over three miles of the river from Heuston Bridge to the Talbot Memorial Bridge.