Cork’s latest bridge gets name
Cork’s new 4 metre wide pedestrian and cyclepath bridge, connecting Grange to Tramore Valley Park, has been named Vernon Mount Bridge.
A total of 598 nominations were received from the public through a naming submission process set up by Cork City Council.
The final shortlist of names included Fuinseog Dubh or Black Ash Bridge; Pride/Bród Bridge; Sanctuary Bridge; Tobar Bridge; Tramore Valley Bridge and Vernon Mount Bridge. Other suggestions included famous Corknonians Sonia O’Sullivan and Roy Keane.
The name Vernon Mount was chosen by 14 votes to 12 by city councillors on Monday night, with Black Ash Bridge coming a close second.
Speaking to the Cork Independent, Fine Gael councillor Shane O’Callaghan expressed his support for the name.
“I favoured it in recognition of the historic and architectural wonder that was Vernon Mount. It was such a landmark in the area, it’s a house that should have been restored but instead, it was unfortunately destroyed by fire. It’s very close to the bridge geographically as well,” he said.
Shane added that a huge amount of local community organisations came out in support of calling it Vernon Mount including Douglas Tidy Towns, Douglas Community Association, Douglas/Frankfield Men’s Shed and several others.
“It will provide great access to Tramore Valley Park to the city in general but the Grange and Frankfield area in particular,” he said.
The 63 metre pedestrian and cycle bridge and the adjoining kilometre-long cycle/pathway will provide connectivity between Grange/Frankfield and the southern suburbs and will support residents and commuters to opt for active travel and thereby reduce traffic congestion.
The kilometre-long pathway will provide a public amenity for local residents through the wooded area south of Grange Road, allowing direct access across the N40 dual carriageway to Tramore Valley Park via the new pedestrian and cycle-only bridge.
The four metre-wide pathway will also support people with mobility needs and will include environmentally sensitive public lighting.
Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Kieran McCarthy said: ‘Many thanks to the general public for engaging in the naming process. It is a process that my colleagues and I will continue to use, knowing that it provides the public with an opportunity to be involved in shaping the culture and history of the city."
It’s anticipated that work on the bridge will be completed in early September and will be open to the public in late September.
Vernon Mount House was built between the 1780s and early 1790s. Abraham Hargrave designed the house, along with a number of buildings in the city at this time, including the military barracks.
It remained largely intact until 2016, when a significant fire gutted the house, and the building was subsequently listed on the derelict sites register. Earlier this year there were calls for the city council to issue a CPO for the ruined Georgian manor.