COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

QUESTION NO. 11

QUESTION: Councillor Eoin Ó Broin

"This Area Committee welcomes the placement of a public notice on the railings cordoning off the boardwalk on Orchard Road, Clondalkin, and asks the Chief Executive for an update on the process of reinstating the boardwalk?"

REPLY:

The Clondalkin Boardwalk was built in 2006 as part of the upgrade to the Clondalkin Civic Plaza project. This is a timber deck finish on a steel cantilevered structure over the Camac River in Clondalkin village outside the South Dublin County Council Clondalkin Civic office.

The issue of the condition of the Boardwalk has been noted previously, and repairs were carried out.

The repairs, in the original material, have not been of long-term value. As a result, a review has been undertaken to seek a long term and sustainable solution to the Board Walk surface that would avoid continual maintenance.

It has been agreed with the Roads maintenance Department that they will maintain the Boardwalk if an alternative robust material, that has an extended life and minimal maintenance is used to replace the timber deck. The material proposed is granite paving to match the existing pavement in the area. The issue with this approach is that the alternative product is heavier than the current timber deck.

An Engineer was appointed to carry out calculations and certify that the existing boardwalk structure can take the extra load of concrete with granite paving instead of timber. Meetings were held on site to agree proposed construction make-up and to ascertain present condition of existing structure.

The Consultant prepared a Report which included calculations on additional loading and capacity of existing structural steelwork elements and foundations. He also provided drawings for scope of works to allow tenders to be sought for the alternative paved solution.

A maintenance contractor was appointed to carry out repairs that would allow the boardwalk to be opened to the public while the bigger job of the concrete and paving was being procured. However, when sections of the boardwalk were opened up it was discovered that significant areas of the timber substructure which holds the timber decking boards in place had suffered from water damage. This meant that the damage was more widespread than appeared and an interim quick fix was not possible. The boardwalk continues to be fenced off for health and safety reasons. Two signs have been put up on the fencing informing the public of the situation.

This contractor had difficulty getting a commitment from the larger concrete slab manufacturers to supply the slabs on such a small job and an alternative method of procuring the concrete had to be considered.

In the past month, a Consultant Engineer has been appointed to peer review the first set of calculations and proposed solution, carry out a risk assessment for the construction phase, prepare the tender documents and oversee the construction. This Engineer has completed his peer review and risk assessment, which included full on-site investigations of sections of the boardwalk. As a result of this he has proposed an alternative more lightweight metal support structure for the granite slabs. This has many advantages over the first proposal. It negates the need for concrete slabs and the difficulty of procuring same. It is a much safer method of construction for the contractor on site. It removes the requirement of having large precast items craned onto site.

The consultant has completed the tender documents for this preferred option, which consist of revised drawings, specifications, risk assessments and schedules. The solution now envisaged is estimated to cost approximately €23,000. However, with the proximity of the boardwalk to the river and the risk this poses to the contractor, the Engineer has recommended that the work be carried out in the Summer when the water levels and flow rates in the Camac are at their lowest. It is now our intention to proceed on this basis.