Barring last-minute hit ches, Wexford should have its bridge back by the last week in November, marking the completion in about 10 weeks of a massive engineering project.
If next year's multiple events and activities to commemorate the bicentennial of the 1798 Rising pass off as smoothly, the county manager, Seamus Dooley, will be well pleased.
He believes this huge and varied year-long commemoration can give the county a strong international profile and generate a lasting transformation of its business and cultural life.
"There is a long-term economic opportunity in what will be happening," he says. The detailed calendar of Comoradh '98 events has now been published and is being circulated, particularly to groups in Northern Ireland, Britain, France and the US which have expressed an interest in participating.
The work of planning the commemoration year began almost a decade ago when an organising committee was established jointly by the county council and Enniscorthy representatives.
Its pre-planning work was well advanced when the decision to bring the opening stages of the Tour de France to Ireland greatly extended both the organisational task and the potential impact of the programme. The stage start of the tour in Enniscorthy on July 13th will now be a highlight event which will bring Wexford global publicity.
The planning has spurred fresh momentum in the physical development of the county's tourism infrastructure. A number of new hotels are either planned or well under way.
The biggest single infrastructure project is the construction of the National 1798 Visitor Centre in Enniscorthy at a cost of nearly £3 million. It is due to open in April and is expected to attract 100,000 visitors during 1998.
The organisers say its innovative technology and entertainment, involving history and education, will "place Ireland's path to democracy within the broader context of European and American political development".
Wexford County Council is putting together a £1 million funding package, and has received £1.6 million in EU structural funds grants through Bord Failte.
Wide practical support for the efforts of Comoradh has been forthcoming from the local community, with farmers facilitating access, and even donating pieces of land at historic sites, he says.
The strong cultural dimension will draw in many other parts of the country. Performances of a Mozart Requiem to commemorate all the dead of '98 will involve the Ulster Orchestra, soloists and choirs from the North, the southeast and France, and will take place successively in Wexford, Dublin and Belfast in April.
It is vital that what takes place should be an inclusive commemoration, involving all cultures and religions, Mr Dooley says. To this end, discussions have already been initiated with Orange Order and unionist representatives.
The Wexford organisers became involved with the French bicentennial which took place in 1989, and there is wide French interest in the coming year's programme.
The multiple cultural, historical, musical and sporting events will stretch Wexford's tourism and catering infrastructure to the limits. The National Heritage Park at Ferrycarrig is undergoing a complete facelift and will have a new 80-seat themed restaurant with nightly entertainment.
Key opening events will be the Anuna concert in Enniscorthy Cathedral on January 2nd and a special commemorative concert in the National Concert Hall, Dublin, on January 14th. June 21st will be Vinegar Hill Day, with the best known battle of '98 remembered through vibrant street theatre, parades and band performances.
The county authorities are well set to meet the challenge of the biggest organised series of events that Wexford is ever likely to experience in any one year, Mr Dooley says.