Cathaleen Falls Bridge

Description

The new Cathaleen’s Falls Bridge carries the N15 Bundoran Ballyshannon Bypass over the River Erne at Ballyshannon. The two tier pedestrian and single carriageway arched bridge is located 500 metres west of the historic Cathaleen’s Falls Hydroelectric Dam.                                           

In April 2007, Cathaleen’s Falls Bridge was announced as a winner of two categories at the Irish Concrete Society’s Annual Awards – in the Infrastructure Category and as Overall Winner of the 2006 Award for Excellence, and noted "the winning entry demonstrated that concrete can be used to give a sense of lightness to a structure and how pre-cast and in situ elements can be combined to create a striking addition to ourlandscape".                                                         

Aidan O’Doherty, Senior Engineer, National Roads Design Office, Donegal County Council explains that the bridge "was conceived, designed and constructed in a sustainable manner and, if required, the number of traffic lanes on the structure can be easily increased should development requirements dictate."It is hoped in Donegal that the Cathaleen’s Falls Bridge will act as a new symbol of the emerging confidence of the county. It is also hoped that the new public footway will be the foundation stone for the development of the area’s river valley park, enabling easy public and tourist access along the valley".