M28 - Cork to Ringaskiddy [under construction; 2028 completion]

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.