Cork City's busiest road to get €2.4m off-ramp extension to prevent traffic congestion

TII will examine the safety and overall operational efficiency of the existing Jacob’s Island junction, and will implement whatever is required in a timely manner.

The off-ramp extension, which has been designed to prevent queuing on the N40 hard shoulder, is being fully funded by TII.

Fine Gael councillor Des Cahill said the junction was particularly congested at peak hours and especially around Christmas.

“It’s grand to be putting in a ramp but the effect that it will have on the junction will have to be monitored,” he said.

His request that consideration be given to the installation on the off-ramp of a dedicated left-turn only lane for residents of Jacob’s Island was backed by Fianna Fáil councillor Terry Shannon.

Mr Shannon said: 

They [residents of Jacob's Island] are looking at their dinner on the kitchen table but can’t get down for it because of the traffic. A dedicated left-turn lane would help future-proof already permitted residential development on Jacob’s Island."

Councillors were told while the proposed works were some 450m away from the Jacob’s Island junction, TII will examine the junction afterwards.

“Cork City Council will engage with TII to examine the safety and overall operational efficiency of the existing junction. Any required corrective measures will be implemented in a timely manner,” they were told.

Any such improvements would be delivered, in the best case scenario, as part of the ramp extension project, or in the worst case scenario, as soon as possible after the works, senior council engineer John Stapleton said.

The off-ramp extension has been designed to prevent existing westbound traffic queuing to exit at Mahon J10 using the N40 hard shoulder as an informal off-ramp.

At times, the traffic queue extends back and ‘spills’ into the westbound driving lane causing congestion and reducing the safe movement of traffic on the main N40 route. 

"It is anticipated that traffic queuing may occur more frequently after the new Dunkettle Interchange becomes fully operational," a report said.

The project will be delivered within the existing road footprint, by converting a section of the existing hard shoulder into a formal off-ramp, and reallocating other road space.

In a report, councillors were also told while the N40 road surface around J10 is hot rolled asphalt, the proposed new surface is stone mastic asphalt designed to reduce traffic noise levels.

And on foot of submissions from the public, existing sound abatement barriers along the off-ramp will be replaced and extended north eastwards.

The N40, which extends from the Ballincollig Poulavone interchange in the west to the Jack Lynch Tunnel, has 11 junctions along its length.

J10 provides connectivity to Blackrock, Mahon, and Jacob’s Island, with an average of 32,040 eastbound traffic movements and 31,662 westbound traffic movements daily.