Timeline

• 1665

  Ferries ply their trade on this stretch of water.

• 1816

  The Liffey’s first toll bridge of the modern era, the Ha’penny Bridge opens.

• 1885

  The Alexandra Basin opens and renders the Liffey beyond the East-Link a quiet backwater.

• 1976

  Tom Roche, of Cement Roadstone, proposes a toll bridge to be built east of the city.

• 1979

  The Local Government (Toll Roads) Act.

• 1982

  The government agrees to Roche’s proposal.

• 1984
  

  The East-Link Toll Bridge opens. President Ronald Reagan visits Ireland.

• 1998

  The Tall Ships Festival is hosted by Dublin for the first time.

• 2007

  Electronic payment methods are introduced.

• 2012
  

  The Tall Ships race ends triumphantly in Dublin.

• 2016

  Ownership reverts to Dublin City Council.

• 2016 May 3rd

  East-Link Bridge is renamed Thomas Clarke Bridge