Shelving of multi-million euro upgrade of Cork road 'must be reversed'
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A multi-million euro upgrade of a major Cork road has been shelved due to a lack of funding.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) has confirmed work on the upgrade of the Carrigtwohill to Midleton road (N25) can't proceed as it hasn't got the funding from the Government.
TII's confirmation follows fears expressed last week by Cork county councillors that the project was in danger of being shelved.
The rumours were first raised at a meeting of the Cobh Municipal District Council and were discussed again at a full meeting of the county council on Monday, prior to TII spokesman Sean O'Neill providing confirmation to the .
Speaking on the issue, Cork Chamber CEO Conor Healy said the current infrastructure is "old and unsafe" with multiple junctions, poor visibility and caters to strategic employment areas in Midleton, Carrigtwohill, Little Island and the wider Cork Metropolitan Area.
"Currently the road condition renders the Ballyadam IDA site all but unusable and effectively pauses the potential for near-term major inward investment at that site," Mr Healy said.
“In line with the immense progress being made on the Midleton to Cork cycleway, and the EU funded dual rail track upgrades to Midleton, there was an opportunity to create an exemplary multimodal transport corridor in the short to medium term but incredibly this is now indefinitely delayed.
“The significant multinational and indigenous businesses operating and investing on this corridor whether in the metropolitan area or wider southeast will take a dim view of this delay which appears to be at odds with the goals of Ireland 2040.
"Government needs to reverse this decision as a matter of urgency to allow the project to proceed as planned," he said.
Councillors are seeking support from Taoiseach Michéal Martin and Cork-based ministers Simon Coveney and Michael McGrath to get the project reinstated amid fears that without this vital piece of infrastructure further development will be stalled in the region.
Carrigtwohill-based Fine Gael councillor Anthony Barry said that the current road was built in 1968 and carries more traffic than a number of motorways.
He said it's currently operating at 120% of its capacity and an upgrade is needed to provide for the proposed development of a 5,000-house town adjacent to the N25 at Water Rock, near Midleton.
Mr Barry said an upgraded road is also vital for IDA plans for further industrial development in the Carrigtwohill area.
“It's slap in the face for Cork,” Mr Barry said.
Fine Gael councillor Michael Paul Murtagh, a member of the fire brigade, said the road is unsafe and he had attended a number of fatal crashes on it.
Council chief executive Tim Lucey said that the local authority had spent the last four years progressing its design to the route selection stage.
He said the council's director of roads Padraig Barrett is to meet a senior TII official this week to discuss the situation.
“We are keen to get a deeper understanding on this. It is strategic to development. It's quite a shock to us,” Mr Lucey said.
Mayor of County Cork, Fianna Fáil councillor Gillian Coughlan, said that the council is seeking a meeting with Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan on a number of issues regarding substandard roads in the region and the future development of the N25 would be added to this agenda.