The Rolling Bridge

This is the first of two such bridges on the same stretch of road as you head down along the quays towards Dublin Port. Over the years I would have passed over these and never really paid them any attention. To be honest, I didn’t even realise what they did. This one resides on the North Wall Quay at Georges Dock, the other is further up opposite the Convention Centre.

Scherzer bridges were an innovation type of lifting Bridge patented by William Scherzer from Chicago back in 1893. These bridges at the Georges Dock entrance were not installed until 1932-1935 by the Dublin Port & Docks Board under the direction of a Joseph Mallagh. Back in 2021 there was a report done which investigated the idea of doing something with the bridges to allow two bus lanes to be inserted along the quays.

The report found that whilst both bridges were in a reasonably complete state, The one at Georges dock which have been shut since 2001 as Georges Dock is dry, are not in ideal condition and were assessed as being no longer capable of operation. It’s a shame really as it would have been nice to see them operated.

Interestingly there was only ever eight of these built in Ireland. The two on the Royal Canal are now the earliest complete examples to survive, whilst the ones at George’s Dock was the last to be built in the country. Both bridges are Protected Structures in the Dublin City Development Plan 2016-22, so I guess we wont see them disappear any time soon.