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LAST UPDATE | 12 Feb 2024
THE REDEVELOPMENT OF the Dunkettle interchange in Co Cork has officially launched today.
The €215 million project aims to alleviate congestion, improve safety, and streamline traffic flow for the region’s residents and businesses.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin opened the renovated site at an launch event this morning.
Before the ravamp, the interchange, which is located 6km east of Cork City, had one roundabout.
There was also an overpass for traffic travelling east to west along the N25, and vice versa. Drivers not using the overpass had to use the roundabout.
The new development includes four roundabouts, as well as multiple direct road links between the N8, the N25 and the N40 and links to the R623 Regional Road in Little Island and Burys Bridge in Dunkettle.
The interchange also has new infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists. Several culverts have been put in place where the roads cross waterways.
Around 94,000 vehicles are expected to drive through the interchange every day.
Most of the upgraded infrastructure has already been operational, while the newest portion is the link from the east to the M8.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin described the upgrade as an “extraordinary engineering achievement”.
“This will make a huge difference when it comes to business, tourism, public transport and road safety in Cork,” he wrote on social media.
A great privilege to officially open the Dunkettle Interchange today - an extraordinary engineering achievement.
— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) February 12, 2024
This will make a huge difference when it comes to business, tourism, public transport and road safety in Cork. pic.twitter.com/uqZsg2Lfdd
Delighted to attend the official opening of the Dunkettle Interchage Upgrade Scheme. 🚗🚧⛔️
— Colm Burke TD (@ColmBurkeTD) February 12, 2024
The project has delivered eighteen new road links totalling 10km in length and seven new bridge structures, as well as upgrade works.
2.9km of new walkways and cycleways have also been… pic.twitter.com/YhFaaJgY7l
Cork Chamber, representing businesses, said the project will improve connectivity and accessibility and “also contributes to our broader sustainability goals with new cycle routes an integral part of the upgrade”.
“Having adequate and efficient infrastructure for our growing population is key to enhancing Cork’s profile as an attractive place to live, work and invest in,” Cork Chamber CEO Conor Healy said.
Delighted to attend official opening of the Dunkettle Interchage Upgrade Scheme.
— Senator Jerry Buttimer (@jerrybuttimer) February 12, 2024
The project has been delivered within budget & on time. @cllrkmac pic.twitter.com/5I5CbajckF
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Thank Jebus for that. Rarely go to Cork City but had to just before Xmas and spent 30 minutes wandering around the worst signposted roadworks I’ve ever encountered.
I’ve driven in Rome, Lisbon, London and Paris and I’ve never come across anything like what I encountered that day.
@Stanley Marsh: Totally agree..appalling signposting for the duration of the works. Cork’s signposting in general is poor.
@Sean Sheep: Ask Irish people what ‘Design’ is and see how many gaping mouths look back at you.
@Thesaltyurchin: they’re probably wondering what “sign” yer talking about?
@Stanley Marsh: you’re well travelled
Badly needed in fairness
Don’t tell Sleepy he’ll turn it into a green way.
@087 bed: is there a cycle lane on it?
Crash there again this morning. Traffic backed up again. Everything comes to a stand still. Overheight trucks trying to go through tunnel. Traffic backed up. Happens on a daily basis.
@Dave Barrett: was down there a few weeks ago. Signs are very poor which meant a lot of late lane switching. Really have to look out for people pulling across in front of you
Lots of nervous people out on the roads tbf
@Thesaltyurchin: lot of roundabouts in Cork, kinsale road, bandon road one, all the lane road markings are gone. So someone coming off or going round abouts can easily be confused. Lot of road markings in the city are well worn.
215 million?! Woah
@Louise Marie: to start with…
@Louise Marie: how much would you build it for???
@Louise Marie: so much money spent on roads and drivers won’t even follow the rules.
@Bass Bass Is A Bell–end: clearly the education system failed you
Ah lads, you deleted the evidence of an all time blooper.
@honey badger: Mairead needs to check the dates on the articles she’s googling when doing her research
@honey badger: I hear they might be starting next month. :)
@honey badger: They deleted my factual comment, which I believe to be correct, but they have not altered or clarified their article,
@Rob Lloyd: Article has been updated as of 1230
Long over due. I think they did a great job except the way into cork city via silversprings is now very very convoluted. I assume they did they did that on purpose to try force people into the city via the kinsale road roundabout ?
@Gerald Obrien: Would make sense, once the Ringaskiddy motorway is done and the entire docks are moved to Ringaskiddy things might be better, But trucks going to Limerick will still need to use it which really needs to be looked at .
But the infrastructure is finally clicking 1977 I believe the plan was put together to get an orbital route around the city, it has had many iterations since then .
@Gerald Obrien: meanwhile in Dublin, it is out of the city
About time.
No sign for Dublin. Until u come out of the tunnel. Then a fast right if nothing is coming.
They should make Cork the new capital. Best city in the country by a mile.
Any chance of a decent road to Limerick? Traffic backed up both sides of a dedicated cow crossing point the last time I was on it. I’m not saying that the cow crossing is in the wrong place but the road from Cork to Limerick is!
Build it, and they will come. Within 5 to 10 years, it will fill up, once again proving the concept of induced demand. Then, they’ll be calling for more lanes. It will never end. ‘Car Brain’ is a terrible affliction.
@Austin Keegan: shame we can’t master that logic for trains, ports, etc.
Now that the Dunkettle is done we’ll have a cup of tea!
The one think Cork people can’t do is Roundabouts and they give us 4 more :P Happy days.
@Rob Cahill: One of the many things drivers in Ireland can’t do is learn how to use roundabouts properly.
@Leonard Barry: Kilkenny people are roundabout ninjas.
@Leonard Barry: and that’s not fixed by speed vans.
@Rob Cahill: roads, lanes coming into these roundabouts are well worn. Worse if the roads are wet.
HELLO, Where’s the bypass for Galway city waiting nearly 20 years for it.
Cork North Ring road next. The Limerick Motorway. First get rid of cabbage head
Now get the M20 built.
Now that that’s done. Can we now get back to the M20 (not the b@$tardised version Ryan wants) and the M40 Ring Road? Please, thank you!
@David McGrath: It’s almost like Eamonn Ryan wants people to spend more time in cars. The current road has traffic backed up and idling in towns and villages instead of allowing it to flow freely on a motorway.
@Joe Country: Oh I’m with you. I live in Mallow and the place is gridlocked most days. We were supposed to get a bypass to redirect the N72 out of the town but of course good ‘ol Eamonn pulled the funds and left the council with so little money it’s on hold indefinitely. It’s also the same old story with Cork, south side gets everything while North Cork gets a pothole patch once in a while.
Did they put up decent signage yet. Appalling bad signage . Signs at junctions rather than before junctions.
Jaysus, didn’t take them long at all.. That said, the Sistine chapel is prettier
I’ve an idea…Tunnel over the Train tracks on the Whitworth Road and Double the Road, This will increase the flow of the traffic on the North side and decrease times travelling. This Really is worth looking into.
Lord, give them a sign. An early sign. Especially the ones coming from the North. Maybe the ones from coming from the East too for it would be a tragedy indeed to taketh the wrong path..
What a great education system we obviously have! All experts on everything So many Masters in Begrudgery, D octorates in Conspiracy Theory and post docs in Bash The Politician.So proud to live here
“Extraordinary engineering achievement”?
MyeEye!
Wot an aerial eyesore!
Is it any wonder the Nation is in such an effin state when THAT deranged environmental abomination, that excoriation of land and soil and ecosystems, that absolute aerial eyesore – a mere midget of an interchange compared to American engineering of similar – is the height of the Government Leadership’s … “ambition” for traffic congestion!?
They could have just ripped enough earth for a giant 5 or 6 exit roundabout (with slips).
And then stacked a second or third roundabout above the ground-level roundabout.
Yes, lose a chunk of skyline (or, more so, a concentrated, limited expanse of interrupted/layered skyline. It would still be open between levels).
But you lose and damage less Landscape!!!
…and ecosystems.
Thus excoriating far less land mass.
Slaughtering far fewer square meters of earth.
Creating a smaller, more focused, centralised eyesore marking the land, rather than the above slovenly, chaotic, feckless octopus sprawl (that really is a metaphor of obnoxious entitled pr-s…eh…men. Yennow, those wans who just have to sprawl their knees and feet to span and consume the leg space of 6 seats [his own+1 either side and 3 seats infront of himself&yerself&herself] on public transport).
Sure no wonder they are eating into both comfortable berth traffic lanes AND appropriately generous grass verges and footpaths in Tallaght, Dublin, for scrawny little narrow bicycles!
Rather than simply stilting /elevating a [semi-]sheltered bike lane over the traffic lanes. Like a pedestrian bridge over a motorway/dual carriageway, but running *with* the roadway rather than across it.
With spiral slips running off it at junctions.
Could even stilt a cycle elevation roundabout, at and over a vehicle roundabout.
Can’t get more safe than that.
No arguing over resources/space/stupid designs running through pedestrian bus stops or crossings.
Fantastic city views (for the eegits with notions that yankee-like city high rise offices/housing equals “epic views”, apparently ‘worthy of extortionate rents’).
I, for one, cannot understand that if a DART train and Luas track can have elevated bridges meandering through Dublin City.
And many Cities around the World can have all sorts of trams, and trains, and metros, elevated and meandering through all sorts of residential and commercial areas of their Cities.
Why is it that Ireland seems to believe we must either sprawl on ground level, eat up public green areas (grass verges+roadside trees) and, with CPOs, eat into private citizen’s minimal green space (gardens that provide Cooling effect against rising “Heat Island Effect”) OR go underground?
(And dig into layers of historic city settlement that has never been fully archeologically excavated).
Ludicrous!
Would also really love to know where the *legal* cycle route integrations are….yennow…..on a high speed National Roadway/DualCarraigeway/Motorway type interchange?
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