Skip to main content

Irish bridge's CE marking

With the aid of services provided by Laidler Associates the refurbished Portumna road bridge in Galway has become the first bridge in the Ireland to carry European CE marking. The CE marking was needed because the swing bridge has moving parts, and falls within the scope of the Machinery Directive.
February 14, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Portumna Bridge during refurbishment
With the aid of services provided by 1398 Laidler Associates the refurbished Portumna road bridge in Galway has become the first bridge in the Ireland to carry European CE marking.

The CE marking was needed because the swing bridge has moving parts, and falls within the scope of the Machinery Directive.

Spanning the Shannon River, the E2.2 million Portumna Bridge was originally built in 1911 and is part of the busy N65 route that links the counties of Galway and Tipperary.

When it was decided that this ageing but vital structure needed to be refurbished, Waterways Ireland awarded the order for design specification, contract preparation and project supervision to Royal Haskoning, who appointed L&M Keating to carry out the building and installation work.

Royal Haskoning recommended that Laidler Associates should be used to provide the consultancy services needed to ensure that the bridge met all relevant legal requirements and, in particular the requirements for CE marking. After these preliminary sessions, Laidler Associates carried out detailed hazard assessments covering all aspects of the bridge design and construction. Consultants from the company also visited the site during the construction work and, when the work was complete, they carried out a detailed final inspection before certifying the structure.

Jane Arbuckle, technical director, mechanical and electrical engineering at Royal Haskoning, said: "The regulatory compliance and certification work carried out for us by Laidler Associates went very smoothly."

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • IRF recommends action for greener roads
    July 4, 2012
    IRF's 2nd International Conference on Roads and Environment reveals how to make roads greener, cleaner and healthier, and follows through with action recommendations IRF's Conference in Geneva on 10-11 November, 2008 put three issues in sharp focus: innovative materials to save energy and other resources, inspiring solutions for water management; an integrated approach to noise and air pollution; and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions monitoring, accounting and offsetting. Some 140 delegates from 36 countries l
  • Upgrade for Medieval bridge
    February 29, 2012
    One of the most demanding and challenging impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) projects ever undertaken by specialist main contractor Concrete Repairs Ltd (CRL) is being carried out on Bideford Longbridge in County Devon, UK. The 24-span medieval masonry arch bridge spans 190m over the tidal estuary of the River Torridge.
  • Barriers to safety
    April 1, 2021
    All vehicle restraint devices on European roads are – or should be - certified according to the European impact standard EN 1317, implying conformity. But it doesn’t necessarily ensure that the crash barrier will perform its main aim of saving the vehicle occupants’ lives.
  • ARTBA addresses wetlands permissions
    April 19, 2012
    The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) is offering the US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) advice on reducing unnecessary regulatory red-tape on transportation projects through improving the wetlands permissions process. ARTBA has submitted comments to the Corps in response to a government-wide regulatory review initiated by President Obama in 2011. This advice from ARTBA details specific recommendations to make wetlands permitting more efficient. ARTBA is working on ways to reduce u