M28 - Cork to Ringaskiddy [advance works ongoing; 2025 start; 2028 completion]

The Carr’s Hill interchange as initially proposed was a dog’s breakfast. It was completely re-designed in 2016 to its current dumbbell form which offers much greater connectivity. The two way Maryborough Hill to Carr’s Hill link road, which will run from Maryborough Hill to the Carr’s Hill west roundabout, and which was first introduced as part of this redesign, offers a far more useful connection. It will provide a vehicular connection between the Old Carrigaline Road and Maryborough Hill.

For active travel users, phase four of the Ballybrack Valley Pedestrian and Cycle scheme will link Maryborough Hill to the Old Carrigaline Road and onwards to the existing phases of the Ballybrack Valley Pedestrian and Cycle route.

That’s not right. The initial design proposed include a link through Maryborough Ridge to access Maryborough Hill.

This was removed due to resident complaints and replaced by a link road to run down the side of Douglas Golf Club to access Maryborough Hill which is a horrible solution.

How was it initially a dog’s breakfast? The initial design was the same as now, except that the Marlborough Ridge link was removed and replaced by the current one.

Personally, I think switching the slip into Mount Oval to be an exit route through the valley and linking with Maryborough Hill flyover might have been better. That would then have linked Mount Oval to the Carrs Hill junction. But not sure how the traffic would have been?

Update from Dronehawk showing progress on the enabling works.

Ballyhemiken/Rafeen quarry incorrectly referred to as Coolmore quarry.

I would hazard a guess that this scheme has been in the system and in legal limbo for so long that it was designed etc before all of those requirements came in. Now its a case of just build it, don't touch the plans.

I understand why it would not have been considered at the outset of the project, but there seemingly being no discussion at all around it at this time is a bit worrying, unless I missed anything. They could and should be getting a lot of the boring stuff through the design and planning phase now.

It was actually part of the Steering Group's case that the M28 Planning Application was submitted quite literally on the eve of Directive 2014/52/EU coming into force in Irish law and that this was a deliberate attempt by the NRA and CCC to avoid the more onerous requirements of that Directive by allowing it to be considered under the previous Directive 2011/92/EU. And that ABP should have picked up on this and judged it against the newer Directive. The High Court disagreed.

Crazy to think that almost 10 years have elapsed and the road corridor is still predominantly grass.

That said, it's actually a pity that Active Travel wasn't incorporated into this project. It would have been very easy to do. Leaving aside the Lee to Sea which is not really relevant, Active Travel could easily have been incorporated from Rochestown to Shannonpark to Rafeen to Shanbally and on to Ringaskiddy along the line of the existing N28 with some additions, workarounds and deviations, with a number of possible routes for a spur or spurs to Carrigaline. The M28 construction phase would be the ideal time to put in any underpasses, over bridges, safe and attractive segregation etc. And in this case, the length of the route and profile of its usage would have made it an exemplary case for Active Travel. Hopefully it will be retrofitted in due course, but it's certainly a missed opportunity.

That, together with the fact that the sum total of their efforts amounted to zilch. Not one single solitary change to the plans. Nothing, except a substantial increase in costs, a delay of at least three years, thousands of hours lost by commuters and thousands continuing to risk their lives daily on a thoroughly sub standard road.

No wonder they removed all traces of their failed efforts and their miserable selves by shutting down their web presence.

New road signage at the junction of Carrigaline Road and Church Road in Douglas refers to the road as the M28. All other new signs say N28

I wonder when the Maryborough Hill, Mount Oval and Rochestown on/off ramps will be closed. Given how close they are to eachother, I wonder if they’ll stagger it or can they

Good news.

Did anybody find out the actual reason/s why this was separated out from the main M28 contract ?

The Service area isn't mentioned in the description, is this going to form a third contract ?

More "active travel" nonsense. I've been down to Ringaskiddy a lot over the years. There's nothing in it besides the port, playground, café, and a rather dingy pub.

I'm sure they'll add acres of housing estates alright when the motorway is done but that won't makes things better - quite the opposite.

I wonder if construction would have started faster if they had done a two part application. An M28 from Carr’s Hill Interchange south to Ringaskiddy, and then a N28 upgrade from Carr’s Hill Interchange north to the N40. That would also have helped remove the “we don’t want a motorway running through our neighbourhood” crowd since it wouldn’t be a motorway, it would be a road upgrade. And also the Raffeen objections wouldn’t have delayed the N28 north upgrade

Nope and it won't for some time. Two separate construction contracts:

M28 Motorway Section from Rochestown to Ringaskiddy - Preliminary/Enabling works underway. Invitation for tender for construction has not been issued yet unfortunately. Time is running out for the stated 2024 start.

N28 Protected Road Section of the M28 from Barnahely to Ringaskiddy (1.5km Single Carriageway). Invitation to tender for construction issued on 30th May 2024, closing date for receipt of tenders and due date for opening of tenders is 19th July 2024.

A prior information notice covering both of the above was issued in June 2023.

A €16m contract for Technical Advisors for the above was awarded to Jacobs Engineering in November 2023.

And a lot of the trees are starting to grow back

Fair enough. However, some of the route looks like a bomb went off and it seems unreasonable to not have timed it to be done just in time for the next stage. Mount Oval/Broadale/Maryborough Hill in particular.

I'm not sure you're right in your thinking here, I've never seen any sign of the N28 being delayed by the minister? I know he got his oar into plenty projects but never saw anything about this one.

The advance works also appear to include building most or all of the embankment within the quarry, and miscellaneous earthworks elsewhere too as a sort of side effect of the utilities diversion. Seems to have been a very big contract.

"Prelims" doesn't mean preliminary works. Prelims are costs incurred but which don't form part of the finished project (things like site offices, insurances, traffic management, etc.). Not sure about these big road projects but a general rule of thumb was prelims would be about 10% of the project cost (usually higher now). If this project is going to cost €300m, a rough estimate of prelims could be €30m.

…from the Dunkettle newsletter email last of the 12th July.

Slow-ish progress overall, but at least it's progress. It will be great to see construction in full swing, although I do appreciate that a lot of prep work is being done quietly.

Great news, thanks @marno21

Have you heard anything on the grapevine about the progress of the tender for the protected road scheme ? I seem to remember that the closing date was sometime around now.