Performance of an 80 year reinforced concrete bridge in an extreme environment.

The reinforced concrete footbridge at Mizen Head spans across a deep sea gorge in a remote location in the south-west corner of Ireland. The deck is about 45 m above the sea and the single arch has a span of 52 m - the largest span in Britain or Ireland for a bridge of its type at that time. Opened in 1909, the bridge is still in use today, 80 years later. The paper describes briefly the background to the bridge, the materials used, the design, specification and method of construction used on this difficult site. The maintenance of the bridge over the years and the details of recent investigations, testing and repairs that carried out are described. (A)