PUNCH Consulting Engineers has provided full bridge design services on the major National Road schemes in the Greater Limerick area, including the N7, N18, N19, N20 & N21. These projects have required both pedestrian and vehicular bridges, spanning roads, railways and rivers. On the M20 scheme we are responsible for the structures aspect of the project and have coordinated the preliminary design of approximately 130 structures on the scheme.

Since the early 1990’s, the National Roads Authority, acting through its Regional Design Offices, has promoted the development of the major National Routes serving Limerick. Schemes have included the Nenagh Bypass, the Limerick Southern Ring Road, the Adare Patrickswell Road, the Croom Bypass and the Ballycasey-Dromoland Road. The development of the 90km M20 motorway to Limerick is currently the major new scheme being promoted in the region and PUNCH are a member of joint venture design team.

The delivery of these projects has extended from the mid 1990’s to the current day and has seen major changes in the construction techniques and forms of bridges needed. The earlier generation of structures tended to be ‘one-off’ in-situ post tensioned bridges demanding highly skilled labour inputs, while later schemes involved ‘families of structures’ using both in-situ and precast bridges. The current drive is to maximise the capabilities of precast structural systems to give economy, speed and repeatability for the contractors. The requirement for a footbridge to serve the Shannon Industrial Zone gave us the opportunity to provide a dramatic arched ‘gateway’ to Shannon International Airport.