County: Louth Site name: DUNDALK: Ramparts Road
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 03E1629
Author: Linda Clarke, Archaeological Consultancy Services Ltd.
Site type: No archaeology found
Period/Dating: N/A
ITM: E 705028m, N 806710m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.998945, -6.398050
Monitoring of site investigation groundworks was carried out on 20 and 21 October 2003 at the Ramparts Road, Dundalk, where it is proposed to construct a new road. The main line of the scheme runs along the disused Great Northern Railway (GNR) line between Hill Street and St Alphonsus' Road. The scheme will tie into the existing town bypass (Inner Relief Road) and will also link into the Southern Link Road (N52).
Two slit-trenches, twelve plate tests and eleven California Bearing Ratio (CBR) test holes were monitored. The slit-trenches were c. 1m wide and were excavated to a depth of 2m. This part of the route lay on the course of the disused GNR. This line had recently been used to lay waste disposal pipes. The slit-trenches were intended to locate the depth and position of these pipes and were excavated through the backfill within the trench excavated to take the pipes. No archaeological features were exposed.
The plate tests were excavated at intervals of 50m and involved the removal of a thin deposit of recent soil and vegetation. The tests were made along the line of the waste pipe. No features of archaeological interest were exposed. Eleven CBR test holes were excavated, at intervals of 50m. Six were located along the line of the waste pipe trench and therefore of no archaeological interest. Five were located along the route of an access road. The topsoil had an average thickness of 0.3m and was removed onto the orange/brown sandy clay. No features of archaeological interest were exposed.
Unit 21, Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co. Louth
