Teagasc is Ireland’s national research and advisory body for the agriculture and food industry. Oak Park Estate, Carlow is now Teagasc’s main administrative centre. The former principal avenue to the neo-classical Oak Park House crosses an extended inlet in a natural lake over a cast iron bridge – a rare example of a cast iron parkland bridge and one of only two in Ireland made by the famous Coalbrookdale Company. It had been closed for a number of years due to safety concerns.
We carried out a survey and appraisal of the structure including a detailed stress analysis. We specified works to the cast-iron structure and bridge deck to repair these with the aim of bringing the bridge back into use. The bridge is now re-opened.
