Work on new Shannon Crossing, linking Clare and Tipperary, reaches key milestone

CONSTRUCTION of the new Shannon Crossing at Ballina/Killaloe has reached a major milestone with the positioning of the first steel beam.

The beam is 40 metres long and a massive 500-tonne crane was needed to lift it into place. The works were carried out overnight. 

The project, which began in 2022 and is expected to be completed by 2024, will provide a western bypass of Killaloe, a new bridge crossing of the River Shannon and an upgrade of the existing R494 regional road from Ballina to the N7 at Birdhill. 

The project, which will cost almost €50m, will also include a cycle lane over its entire length.

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It is approximately 6.2km long and will cross the River Shannon approximately 1km to the south of the existing Killaloe Bridge. It will cross the Kilmastulla River (a tributary of the river Shannon and part of the Lower River Shannon SAC) on the R494.

Those who backed the scheme say the benefits will be enormous to the locality and the wider region - both  economically and socially.

The community of Ballina/Killaloe have expressed their excitement at the progress being made.

Ballina-Killaloe Rugby Football Club, which re-shared images of the beam being positioned on its social media, said: “As the rugby club encompassing both sides of the river and the two towns we can only applaud this amazing feat of engineering and look forward to the finished bridge.”