A NEW road that will help end chronic congestion in Carrigaline will be made “shovel ready” after years of delays.
Cork County Council officials have confirmed to County Mayor Seamus McGrath that they were approving funding for the Carrigaline Western Relief Road to enter the detailed design stage so that it could be progressed to the construction phase as soon as possible.
Traffic in Carrigaline. Pic; Larry Cummins
The road, which effectively bypasses the town centre, was first proposed almost 10 years ago, and land acquisition began in 2010, but after a number of funding streams were cut off during the recession, the project was shelved. However, with the land acquisition process complete and a number of new funding streams on the horizon, the council have agreed to progress the road.
They will soon begin engaging with consultant engineers to complete the designs. The overall cost of the project is estimated as being between €6m and €8m. Carrigaline is one of the biggest commuter towns in Ireland and 15,000 vehicles pass through the main street each day.
Mr McGrath said: “It’s a critical piece of infrastructure for Carrigaline. It will help solve some congestion problems, and allow Carrigaline to grow in a sustainable way. I see this as a serious step forward.”
He said that locals had been seeking the road for a decade to help bypass some of the traffic in the town, but were left waiting.
“The progress has been slow, which has been very frustrating,” he said.
He said that the land acquisition process was quick, and the reason the project was delayed was due to lack of funding. However, he said that with new capital sources like the €200m infrastructure fund announced by Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government — and fellow Cork harbour resident — Simon Coveney last month.
In a motion to the County Council last month, before he became Mayor, Mr McGrath said that the council needed to get the project “shovel ready” as it was becoming clear that new funding sources were becoming available.
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