Athlone’s new greenway bridge shortlisted for best in world award
The new Athlone pedestrian and cycleway bridge has been shortlisted for an award for the best pedestrian and cycling bridge in the world by the prominent international bridge design organisation IABSE.
There are a total of six shortlisted in the category, and the winner will be announced on November 12 in Zurich, Switzerland.
The other shortlisted bridges are located in China, the Czech Republic, Japan, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
This award is part of the IABSE Project and Technology Awards 2024. The Athlone bridge is the only Irish entry to be shortlisted for any of the nine categories.
Seán Harrington Architects (SHA) worked on Athlone bridge in conjunction with Roughan O'Donovan Engineers after being commissioned by the Westmeath County Council.
SHA have been involved in other notable structures in Ireland, including the Millennium Bridge, as well as local projects such as the restoration of the Ballymahon Library.
SHA Principal Seán Harrington said: “This is great honour that we are very proud of, and I hope a great thing for the town of Athlone.”
“It's stiff competition, but just to be shortlisted is great,” he added.
The Athlone bridge was officially opened on August 8 last year, and is only the second crossing in the town over the River Shannon that is accessible by foot and bicycle. The current estimated cost is €15m.
It is part of the Dublin-Galway pedestrian and cycleway, which will become part of EuroVelo 2, a 5,500km route passing through Ireland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Belarus and Russia.
The bridge also marks the crossing point between Leinster and Connacht, as well as the centre of the country, with a column entering the water from the midpoint of its span.
It links from Athlone Castle at the historic centre of the town to the modern commercial and shopping area on the other side of the river.
The annual awards, according to the IASBE, are “dedicated to recognising and honouring exceptional achievements, ground-breaking projects and remarkable individuals in the field of structural engineering globally”.
“The 2024 IABSE Awards promises to bring together a diverse and influential community of innovators, practitioners and thought leaders in the structural engineering profession and industry.”
The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge, the longest bridge in Ireland, previously won the IABSE Outstanding Structure Award in 2021, and is the only Irish project so far to have secured the global award for structures.
To see the other shortlisted finalists, see www.iabse.org/Awards/Finalists.