The bridge known as Doctor’s Bridge in Castlelyons is unlikely to have suffered any damage resulting from the presence of Japanese knotweed during the past year, Cork County Council has confirmed this week.
The invasive species has the potential to damage such structures as the roots can become embedded in structural foundations, though the bridge has been deemed to be in good condition following a recent report.
The matter of knotweed at this location was raised last month by Cllr June Murphy. In his report on the issue this week, senior engineer Brendan O’Gorman said that, as the bridge is on a cable interconnector route for a wind farm, an engineering report was carried out by Malachy Walsh and Partners in April 2014 and July 2015.
“The bridge consists of four No.1.22 metre diamater concrete pipes, which are in good condition. It was given an overall rating of 1, using the Eirspan scale of 0 (as new) to 5 (near collapse). Given the nature and condition of the bridge, any small amount of Japanese knotweed observed, it would have suffered little if any damage during the past year.
“There is a small amount evident on the downstream side of Doctor’s Bridge, Castlelyons. Obviously, so close to the water, one has to be mindful of chemical treatment here but we will seek a resolution nevertheless,” he said.
