Editorial: A week of gigantic cranes and grand romantic gestures Suirside
The eye-catching yellow Hebo crane arrived in Waterford at the weekend ahead of the sustainable transport bridge structure. Photo: Joe Evans
The visually striking presence of the giant yellow Hebo crane on the River Suir at the weekend, in situ to install the spans of the sustainable transport bridge, marks a landmark moment in the progression of the North Quays development.
This crane, in all its spectacular engineering glory, expresses progress for Waterford.
Visible on the horizon when approaching the city centre from various vantage points, the floating sheerleg crane will complete the lifting operation on site.
The transport and lifting operations for the bridge were sub-contracted to Hebo, a Dutch company that specialises in such operations for bridges, shipping, ports and offshore wind turbines.
The process of bringing this equipment to Waterford has been fascinating in itself, with sea conditions and tides monitored to allow the safe passage of both the crane and the bridge spans from Antwerp Port via the North Sea, English Channel and Celtic Sea to Waterford Estuary.
The transport of the crane up Waterford Estuary to Belview Port and to the bridge site on the North Quays was closely coordinated with the Port of Waterford.
Over the coming days the barges, carrying the bridge spans, will be derigged and mobilised into their lifting positions. The four deck sections will then be lifted into position by the crane.
For a short while, the public will have the opportunity to witness these stunning feats of precision engineering take place.
After that, it will be quite a while before the bridge will be open to the public. We are looking at the last quarter of 2026 at the earliest.
The public infrastructure project, which includes the bridge, transport hub and new train station, is being developed ahead of the private SDZ development - the built interface between the two developments must be fully integrated and compatible.
"The fast-tracking of integration works as part of construction of the SDZ will facilitate the opening of the bridge to the public in Q4 2026," Waterford City and County Council said this week.
All the while, continuous progression of the infrastructural element of the North Quays is visible for all to see. The multi-million Euro investment in our city is heartening, the first investment of this scale since the construction of the Thomas Francis Meagher Bridge and Bypass. It is history in the making.
We can't let the week go without wishing Mayor of Waterford City and County Cllr Jason Murphy and his fiancée Yvonne Coughlan the very best on their engagement. Mayor Murphy surprised all in attendance at the charity Mayor's Ball on Saturday night as, during his speech, he turned the spotlight onto his beloved partner Yvonne, reaching into his pocket for a piece of jewellery of the very sparkly variety. A stunned and delighted Yvonne said 'yes' - to everyone's relief!
It is perhaps a sign of the camaraderie and respect that exists between our locally elected politicians and the broader Waterford community that the Mayor's Ball proved the perfect setting for such a romantic gesture. Here in the Déise, we are but one big, mostly happy, family!
