Wrong concrete in Kilkenny bridge

A SECTION of the N9/M9 which will link Waterford to Dublin by motorway will have to be dismantled after the wrong batch of concrete…

A SECTION of the N9/M9 which will link Waterford to Dublin by motorway will have to be dismantled after the wrong batch of concrete was used in its construction.

A section of the deck in the new bridge over the river Nore in Co Kilkenny will have to be dismantled after an on-site error, according to Kilkenny County Council engineer Joe Gannon.

He said approximately one sixth of the deck of the bridge was constructed with the wrong mix of concrete due to a computer error.

“They are telling us that it was a computer error. One batch of concrete that was supposed to go to one end of the site went here, and vice versa. As the client we don’t care what went wrong; we just want it sorted out.”

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Mr Gannon said the concrete in the bridge was supposed to have a strength of 40 neutrons, but the concrete that was used had been intended for the central barrier.

“The concrete they put in, I think, has a design strength of 20 . I think it’s the concrete that would be used for a central barrier, I am told.”

A spokesperson for Sisk Road Bridge (SRB) said they were in talks with the cement contractor.

“SRB and its concrete supplier have been in discussion with Kilkenny County Council with regards to the remedial works at the Nore river bridge.

“There are no health and safety or environmental issues arising. There will be no cost to the local authority as a result of the works, which will take place in the short to medium-term, and will not affect the delivery of the project.”

A spokesman for the National Roads Authority (NRA) said quality control and identifying mistakes were all part of large building projects.

“Being able to identify the cause and effect is all part of quality control, and who is going to be responsible for payment is being dealt with through the contractors.”