Regeneration of Cork's MacCurtain St could start before the end of the year
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Work on the multi-million euro regeneration of Cork’s historic MacCurtain St could start before the end of the year as part of a wider public transport upgrade.
It follows the publication of tender documents for the MacCurtain St Public Transport Improvement Scheme – the latest phase of Cork City Council’s City Centre Movement Strategy (CCMS), which has been designed to deliver major benefits for bus passengers, cyclists and pedestrians.
Tenders have now been invited from suitably qualified contractors to carry out a range of works on the vast MacCurtain St scheme, including site clearance works, upgrades of footpaths, changes in traffic management, the installation of additional bus facilities, upgrades of junctions including upgrades to traffic signals, pavement improvement and refurbishment works, the provision of set down spaces, improved street signage and road markings at various roads and streets around Cork City centre, as part of the overall scheme.
The deadline for responses is mid-September and it is hoped that following a review of the documents, and an award of the contract, work on the scheme could start before the end of the year.
The project, which includes the complete revamp of MacCurtain St, also features several major changes to traffic flows and traffic prioritisation, including the installation of new bus and bike lanes on a number of adjoining and nearby streets.
It will be advanced in phases, and could take up to 18 months to complete.
The scheme, which will be funded by the National Transport Authority, includes plans for a complete upgrade of the public realm on MacCurtain St, where one-way traffic was introduced in February 1968.
Under this plan, new and wider footpaths will be built, bus priority measures will be introduced, it will get a new street surface, new public lighting, additional street furniture and new trees.
Crucially, the street will be converted from two-lanes one-way eastbound to a two-way traffic flow system, with a reduced speed limit of 30 km/h.
The work will facilitate the rerouting of some bus routes, including some which travel down Summerhill, which will now be able to drive onto MacCurtain St westbound and on towards Coburg St.
The scheme also includes several significant upgrades and traffic management changes to nearby streets and the quays, with a number of new bus lanes proposed in several areas to reduce bus journey times and improve service reliability.
Significant public realm upgrades are planned for Leitrim St, Coburg St, Bridge St, the lower section of St Patrick’s Hill, St Patrick’s Quay, Brian Boru St, Merchant’s Quay, Anderson’s Quay, as well as Cathedral Walk and part of Mulgrave Road.
The scheme includes plans for new bike lanes along St Patrick’s Quay and Camden Quay, on Merchant’s Quay, across Christy Ring Bridge, and on Leitrim St, to improve connectivity between the cycling infrastructure around Kent Station and Penrose Quay in the east, and at Pope’s Quay at the western side of the city centre.
And there are plans to reorganise the city’s coach parking arrangements, which are currently concentrated on St Patrick’s Quay.