Dublin's Ha'penny bridge reopens

The most famous bridge across Dublin’s River Liffey was reopening today after a multi-million pound restoration.

The pedestrian Ha’penny Bridge, which is 185 years old, was closed nine months ago for the refurbishment project.

It was being reopened some five months behind the original schedule.

Dublin Lord Mayor Michael Mulcahy was set to be the first person to cross the smartened-up and strengthened structure - to be followed by some of the 30,000 people who normally use the bridge on each day.

The railings on the new-look Ha’penny have been re-painted in the off-white colour which was used when it was first opened.

It also now has a new slip-resistant deck and wider entrances at each quayside end, and is floodlit.

But the 19th Century design means that the arched and listed bridge has no wheelchair access - that is available at the much newer Millennium footbridge which was built just a few yards upstream.

Work on the older bridge took longer than expected because of unanticipated difficulties.

Dublin City Engineer Michael Philips said: ‘‘Very little work had been done during the bridge’s almost 200 years in existence, and some of the beams were very corroded.

‘‘It has literally been taken apart bit-by-bit, inspected and replaced. But only 10% of the old bridge has been replaced.

‘‘A lot of modern techniques have been used to retain the old materials.’’

Gone forever, though, are booths once used to collect the halfpenny crossing toll that gave the bridge its name.

Among companies involved in the restoration project was Belfast’s Harland and Wolff, better known historically as shipbuilders.