The planned M28 route from Cork city to Ringaskiddy Cork National Roads Office Cork National Roads Office

THE NATIONAL PLANNING authority has granted permission for the construction of the long awaited M28 Cork-to-Ringaskiddy motorway.

An Bord Pleanála has officially greenlighted the €220 million project on behalf of Cork County Council.

The proposed motorway will run south of Cork City via Carrigaline, and then east before terminating at Ringaskiddy, a distance of about 13 miles following the general direction of the current N28.

Responding to the news, the Cork National Roads Office said the project will have ‘local, regional and national significance’.

“Regionally, it delivers critical infrastructure for the port and for the industries in the strategic employment area on the Ringaskiddy peninsula. The M28 is the transport infrastructure that can lead to improved capacity in the various industries as they continue to compete within their own sectors,” the office said in a statement.

Nationally, in a post-Brexit era, the port of Cork is increasingly important as the closest port to mainland Europe and to EU markets.

The full An Bord Pleanála decision can be read here.

Not all local groups have expressed enthusiasm about the news however.

Local Green party representative Lorna Bogue said the plan “won’t solve the traffic problems of the area”, suggesting rather that it will create “several new ones”.

“It’s a sledgehammer approach to transport planning. New bottlenecks will be created,” she said.

Motorway traffic with resultant air pollution and noise levels will be brought closer to housing, and the amenity value of Raffeen Quarry will be lost.