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

August update from Dronehawk :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4E-ben9rYA

I was wondering was that extent of works normal alright. I wonder is this to prevent the contractor who actually gets the tender, from going back looking for extras?

That doesn't make sense. If they just prescribed these works in the main contract, as they have done in the enabling works, it wouldn't then be an extra anyway.

I cannot see the logic at all so if it is case of getting a section of land ready for road construction.

What is the point in the approach can anyone please point out, if it is not to prevent unexpected costs by the company that wins the tender ?

My sister lives in Mount Ovel and is worried about the impact of these roadworks on getting to work. Would anyone know how it will affect traffic at busy times? For example, 9.00 and 5.00.

Very early days to be making predictions, but given the extent of the works, the likely impact that construction will have on a number of key commuter routes in the area, the fact that a number of these routes are currently operating at or over capacity at the times you mention and the failure of the Council to undertake and complete the long planned improvements on Clarke Hill & Coach Hill and their junctions with the Rochestown Road in a timely manner some disruption is inevitable. Key pressure points will be invasive works such as the demolition and reconstruction of Maryborough Hill overbridge (which will impact not just Maryborough Hill but the displaced traffic will further overload other routes/junctions in the area), the online works between the N40 and Carrs Hill and work in the Shannon Park area.

As against this, good communications, good sequencing of the various closures and openings and clever temporary routing could make a huge difference, as we saw during the works in Dunkettle where traffic continued to flow through the construction site throughout. I know it wasn’t perfect, but in the overall scheme of things the DKI project team did a very good job.

Unfortunately, to date, those responsible for the M28 project over the last decade would score a 1/10 for their communication skills. We live in hope that this will improve drastically.

Except for the fact that the Minister for Transport wants roads to get less of the pie than what they are entitled to. Not more.

Predominantly yes. The section from Rochestown to the proposed Barnahely roundabout will be motorway. The remaining section from the proposed Barnahely roundabout to Loughbeg and then on to the proposed port entrance and HGV service area will be single carriageway protected road.

Would the single carriageway section still be M28, or N28?

The M8 technically begins 400m north of the old Dunkettle Interchange roundabout. It’s obviously not signposted that way though.

I’d expect the same for the M28.

I wonder if it will be at Carr's Hill where the M28 signs end? Otherwise, traffic coming from Maryborough Hill and Carrigaline Road will only be able to go onto a motorway. City Centre/N40 bound traffic from Maryborough Hill that can't use motorways (such as learners) won't be able to use the road to get to the N40 like they would now.

Same with City Centre/Mahon/N40 bound traffic coming from the Rochestown Road who previously would have used Bloomfield

Don’t get hung up on trying to assign a route number to every link road in an interchange: it just doesn’t work like that. Unlike UK practice, the Irish road-numbering system prohibits one stretch of road from carrying two different route numbers. From that, you can reason out that in an interchange with shared links, the shared link roads cannot belong to any route.

OpenSteetMap is not in any way “authoritative” - its route-colouring algorithm just colours links red if they can lead only to a motorway, but those slip roads are actually not under motorway restrictions. The “start-of-motorway” sign is placed at the point where motorway restrictions begin - before that point, you are not on a motorway.

Yep, Seamus McGrath has a more detailed update on his Facebook. That section expected to take 20 months

Agreed. This scheme should really have snuck in a proper western bypass of Carrigaline into it to distribute traffic around the city. That one junction is going to be very bad and there really is nothing that can be done about it save proper public transport, which we just can't seem to do.

There should be a tram going to the airport and across to Carrigaline.

The R609 is about to become a very dense corridor, and I assume the current N28 will be renamed as the R609. The R609 has a huge opportunity to add cycle lanes, even a tram line to Douglas and onto the City Centre. Hopefully they don’t mess it up..

Not to derail but a tram to Carrigaline got a one line mention in the all Island Strategic Rail Review:

It's the largest town in Ireland without a rail line planned, the topography and presence of the N28 means that it's far easier to connect (at least to Douglas) than the Airport. In the current climate it seems far fetched but if we ever do get serious about public transport, some version of Carrigaline-Douglas-City Center would be one of the most logical next up light rail routes in the country.

Coffey's are clearing this site for a compound - looks big enough….this is at the eastern end of Ringaskiddy on the southern side of the road

Aerial view

An accident of some sort has closed the N28 today, chaos across the south of Cork. Currently jammed from the Kinsale Road roundabout back to the tunnel. And its not even rush hour yet.

Does anyone know what current election hopefuls were involved in the M28 Steering Group? I know Jerry Buttimer was a member of it and quite vocal in supporting them. I think Micheál Martin attended meetings but I'm not sure if he was necessarily supportive of them. (For what it's worth I have no problem with politicians attending events/meetings like this because they should be aware of all concerns)

But I'll have a few words for those who outright supported them, like Buttimer, when they call to my door.

You have to wonder about how long it takes in these kinds of incidents for Gardaí to gather whatever evidence they need and then get the affected road reopened asap. It sure as Hell doesn’t take 9.5 hours to reopen major arteries in other countries after a 2-vehicle collision! I hope that doesn’t seem unsympathetic to those directly involved in the collision, but the chaos today probably affected 10-20,000 people and there clearly wasn’t enough urgency.

Given where Moneygurney is, it certainly sounds like the site falls between the existing N28 and Maryborough Hill. But it’s difficult to know what the bridge might be because there’s nothing to bridge over.

Edit: I didn’t notice at first that the story was from Feb. That 580-unit scheme was granted permission last month and they’re already started construction. The site lies to the west of the M28 and the existing N28. The bridge goes over a stream/watercourse.

http://planning.corkcity.ie/AppFileRefDetails/2442632/0