Samuel Beckett Bridge

The Samuel Beckett Bridge opened in December 2009, designed by Santiago Calatrava, who had already built the James Joyce Bridge upstream. Its form is a deliberate reference: a single curved pylon leaning back with cables fanning from it, read as a harp lying on its side, the harp being the national emblem. It is a swing bridge, pivoting on the southern pier through ninety degrees to open the channel for shipping, which it does rarely and by arrangement rather than on a schedule. The structure was fabricated in Rotterdam and floated up the Liffey in one piece. It carries four lanes and footpaths and connects the docklands developments on both banks, and it has become the standard image of the modern city. There is nothing to do here beyond walk across it, and the docklands around it are office districts that empty in the evening.

History

The steel span was built in Rotterdam by Hollandia, the Dutch firm that also made the steelwork of the London Eye, and left its wharf at Krimpen aan den IJssel on 3 May 2009. The bridge cost €60 million and is named after the writer Samuel Beckett (1906-1989); the Lord Mayor of Dublin opened it to pedestrians on 10 December 2009, and road traffic followed at 7 the next morning. Its main span hangs from 31 cables, and in 2010 it won Engineers Ireland's Engineering Project of the Year (Wikipedia, Samuel Beckett Bridge).

What's there

• The harp form - the leaning pylon and fanned cables of the design.
• The swing mechanism - the whole span pivots on the southern pier.
• The docklands - modern office quarters on both banks.
• The Calatrava pair - with the James Joyce Bridge upstream.

When to go

Any time. Evenings and after dark show the lighting to best effect. The bridge opens for shipping only occasionally and not to a public timetable.

What to expect

There is nothing here but the bridge - a ten-minute stop. The surrounding docklands are corporate and quiet outside working hours. Openings are rare and not scheduled for spectators.

Nearby

The Convention Centre and the EPIC museum are on the north quay; the city centre is west.

Key facts