White Bridge (Athlone)

View of the bridge.

The White Bridge is a railway bridge over the River Shannon at Athlone, Ireland.^[1][2]

History and Technical Details

Man walking across Athlone Bridge, September 24, 1961

The bridge was built in 1851^[3] and took 18 months to complete.^[4] The bridge is 542 feet (165 m) long. It was designed by G.W. Hemans, and built with a central span which can be opened to accommodate tall sailing craft. The iron-work was shipped to Limerick and then was transferred to Athlone by barge. The twelve cylindrical pillars are each 10 ft (3.0 m) in diameter.^[5] The opening central span is 120 ft (37 m) in length,^[4] but this was changed to a fixed section in 1972.

The bridge is listed in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage under number 15004129.^[6]

References

1. Kelly, Tom (6 July 2011). "Protester's Athlone railway bridge demonstration is criticised". Westmeath Independent. Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
2. Coghlan, Finian (2 August 2013). "White Bridge boat crash driver gets trial date". Athlone Advertiser. Archived from the original on August 6, 2013.
3. "Railways". Realized Vision. Institution of Engineers of Ireland. 2000. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
4. "Buildings of Note". Athlone. Athlone Town Council. 2014. Archived from the original on June 26, 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
5. "The Railway Viaduct, Athlone". Ask About Ireland. Changing Libraries Initiative, Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
6. "Shannon Railway Bridge, Grace Road, Athlone, County Westmeath". National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2014.

Coordinates: 53°25′38″N 7°56′45″W / 53.4272°N 7.9459°W