Contract awarded for Cox's Bridge and September start for Bury Bridge Tullamore

Big changes are on the way for Cox’s Bridge on the Clara Road and a contractor has officially been selected to lead the project.

The upgrade, which stretches from the front of Dolan’s Shop, includes new pedestrian crossings and a full junction realignment as part of a broader plan to improve access and safety in the area.

At this month’s meeting of Tullamore Municipal District, Senior Executive Engineer Joe Dooley confirmed progress is well underway.
''A letter of offer to the contractor was sent out this week,''he said. ''As soon as the contractor sends in his programme of works then a letter drop will take place and we will liaise with stakeholders.''

And that’s not the only bridge on the radar. Over at Bury Bridge (better known as Whitehall Bridge), plans are moving along. Tender drawings are completed, and the project is expected to go out to tender this month.
''We anticipate a quick turnaround on that and construction will commence on that for September,''Mr Dooley said.

The planned works for Bury Bridge and the Convent Road area are extensive. They include:

• New kerbing and footpaths

• Narrowing of the carriageway on Bury Bridge to allow one-way traffic

• Junction tightening at St Brigid’s Place and Convent Road

• Three controlled pedestrian crossings on Daingean Road and Convent Road

• An uncontrolled crossing at the junction of Bury Bridge and Daingean Road

• New signage and road lining to reflect one-way trafficRead NEXT:Calls grow stronger for Town Bus serving Tullamore

Both bridges are significantly historical.

Cox’s Bridge, built in1809, is listed on the National Built Heritage Service website as a ''single-arch masonry bridge… carrying the Tullamore Clara road over the Grand Canal at the west end of the 27th lock.'' It’s part of a wider group of canal structures including the nearby lock and lock house — and is considered ''of architectural interest in terms of its quality of construction and its place in the series of canal bridges built at the end of the eighteenth and start of the nineteenth centuries.''

Bury Bridge is even older, dating back to 1799, and was constructed by the Grand Canal Company. The website notes it ''carries a roadway over an entrance into a canal dock,'' and retains ''many of the typical characteristics evident in canal bridges, such as its humped deck form, the mixture of finely tooled limestone and random coursed walls and towpaths which lead under the bridge.''
It was named after the owner of the Charleville Estate and continues to add to the historic ''canalscape'' of the area.

With works moving ahead on both bridges, the town is set to see improvements in accessibility, safety, and traffic flow, all while preserving two important pieces of Tullamore’s heritage.