Lower Corrib River Hazard Update

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higgins2510
Posts:8
Joined:Fri Feb 03, 2012 8:25 pm
Lower Corrib River Hazard Update

Post by higgins2510 » Sun Sep 16, 2012 8:19 pm

Recently got this email a day or two ago;
David,

Galway City Council are in contact with Let's Do IT Global to complete the removal of the bridge piles from the river.
Please see attached notice issued by the Harbour Master for your information.

Regards,
W.M.Dunne
A/Senior Engineer
Transportation, Infrastructure, Recreation & Amenity
Galway City Council
The attachment that came with it;
GALWAY HARBOUR COMPANY


NOTICE TO MARINERS

No. 7 of 2012

British Admiralty Chart No. 1904 & 1984

All MARINERS, SHIP OWNERS, FISHERMEN, YACHTSMEN, AND SHIP’S AGENTS

VOLVO OCEAN RACE – PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE SUPPORT PILES (RIVER CORRIB)
The Galway Harbour Company hereby reminds mariners, ship owners, fishermen, leisure boats operators, canoeist, swimmers and all operators
of craft that the temporary pedestrian walkway support piles which were placed in the River Corrib as part of the preparations for Galway’s
finale of the Volvo Ocean Race 2012 are still in situ. Mariners are advised to proceed with extreme caution when navigating in the vicinity of the river corrib and the support piles which are located as shown in the attached drawing. Mariners and swimmers and not to navigate, swim, kayak, canoe upstream of the exclusion zone.

Captain Brian Sheridan
Harbour Master
Galway
10/09/2012

To give people a bit of background, 8 support columns were used to erect a temporary bridge linking the Spanish Arch area to the Claddagh for the Volvo Ocean Race. When they were getting rid of the bridge, rather than remove the supports they simply cut them, (at a level just below the surface of the water on a low tide). This means that there are 8 jagged pieces of metal at the bottom of the Lower Corrib which protrude out of the water on a low tide, and are hidden below it on a high tide.

I first contacted Galway County Council almost two weeks ago about this, and they told me they were aware of the situation and that Lets Do It Galway were looking into getting them removed. I pushed for an idea of when they were hoping to have it done for, but got noting concrete out of any of them. Lets Do It Galway did not respond to my email, and then eventually the County Council got back to me with the above email.

On a low tide I wouldn't want to catch the underside of my boat of them, they look pretty sharp. And I definitely wouldn't want to swim over one.

higgins2510
Posts:8
Joined:Fri Feb 03, 2012 8:25 pm

Re: Lower Corrib River Hazard Update

Post by higgins2510 » Sun Sep 16, 2012 8:28 pm

Here is the attachment to the email: it includes a map of the area and outlines where the supports are.
Attachments
Notice007 Pedestrian Bridge River Corribr VOR - support piles.pdf
(352.59KiB)Downloaded 795 times

higgins2510
Posts:8
Joined:Fri Feb 03, 2012 8:25 pm

Re: Lower Corrib River Hazard Update

Post by higgins2510 » Mon Sep 17, 2012 3:26 pm

Got another email today, they closed the gates and tried to get to work on it, but the overflow due to the lake being high at the minute meant they couldn't....

higgins2510
Posts:8
Joined:Fri Feb 03, 2012 8:25 pm

Re: Lower Corrib River Hazard Update

Post by higgins2510 » Sun Oct 21, 2012 1:44 pm

As I understand it these have now been removed. Happy Paddling!

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