ACROSS THE ROYAL CANAL

Here is how the old bridge bridge was described: "Single-arch humpbacked limestone canal bridge, dated 1792, carrying Ratoath Road on north-south axis over Royal Canal. Elliptical arch with tooled limestone voussoirs and granite keystones rising from coursed limestone ashlar walls with curved limestone ashlar spandrels. Coursed limestone ashlar parapets with plat-band to base and flat limestone coping terminated to either end by round limestone piers with round capstones (replaced with cement to northwest). Parapet damaged and poorly rebuilt to north end of east parapet and to both ends of west parapet. Carved Portland limestone plaque set into both parapets with oval panels inscribed '1792 H.S Reilly Bridge & Lock'. Located adjacent to 8th Lock."

Up until a few years ago the Ratoath Road linked Cabra to Dunsink in north Dublin. The road crossed the Dublin to Sligo Railway Line at a level crossing and the Royal Canal at an existing masonry arch bridge [described above]. In April 2008 a feasibility study recommended the closure of the level crossing, XG002. At the time a major increase in railway and other traffic was expected for the following reasons:

Opening of the Spencer Dock Station in Dublin’s docklands
Reopening of the Clonsilla to Pace sections of the Dublin to Navan Railway Line
Reopening of the Pace to Navan sections of the Dublin to Navan Railway Line.
Improvement in Commuter and Intercity services on the Dublin to Sligo Line
Proposal for the DART Underground project between Docklands and Inchicore
Future electrification of the Maynooth Line


Roughan & O’Donovan Consulting Engineers were commissioned by Iarnród Éireann to design a scheme to eliminate the level crossing and the resulting scheme incorporated the following major elements:

Traffic, cycle and pedestrian facilities along the 500m of realigned road
Tie-in to the existing Ratoath Road at Marian School, circa 240m south of the level crossing
Landscaped embankment on the southern approach to the bridge constructed on the grassed area to the east of the existing road
A 70m long single span steel truss bridge crossing the railway and the canal
Reinforced earth walled embankment along the open land between the existing commercial units to the north of the bridge
Pedestrian ramped access to the canal from the north west side of the bridge
A revised signalised arrangement of the Ballyboggan Road junction
Closure of the existing XG002 Reilly’s level crossing

The scheme was approved in July 2011 and work commenced on site in July 2013 to be completed by 2015.