Cork city centre's tar-patched pedestrian crossings to be fully restored
Grand Picture: Parade Along In Repair Crossings Cork's For Several Denis Line Restoration Minihane And Are
Ugly tar-patched pedestrian crossings in the heart of Cork city centre are to be repaired and fully restored this summer.
The city council is poised to publish invitations to tender for the work as a single project, with up to nine brickwork crossings requiring extensive repairs.
The entire project could take up to three months to complete. The cost will be substantial.
It is also likely to lead to significant traffic disruption, with contractors required to have major traffic management plans in place for the duration of the works. Businesses will be informed in advance.
The news was confirmed over the weekend on the back of sustained criticism of City Hall in recent weeks over the crossings’ defective surfaces and the unsightly patchwork temporary repairs.
The project will involve major repairs and restoration to several brickwork pedestrian crossings along St Patrick’s St, which were installed as part of the Beth Gali-designed streetscape revamp over two decades ago.
Several crossings along the Grand Parade, which was upgraded in the same style some years later, and where patchwork repairs have also been done at Finn’s Corner and Nano Nagle Bridge, are also in line for repair and restoration.
Former lord mayor Mick Finn, along with several councillors in the south-central local electoral area in which the city is located, raised the issues of defective pedestrian crossings, the need to address dereliction, and the city’s general maintenance regime with council management and urged a regime of ‘constant reviewing’ to ensure issues are identified and dealt with.
“There have been criticisms of the way the brickwork has been filled in with tarmac and other temporary measures, so it’s good to hear the crossings will be renewed and revitalised,” he said.
“City centres all over the world are challenged in numerous ways in terms of transport, retail, and livability so it’s important for those that influence what goes in cities to be constantly on the ball.
“We are seeing signs beginning to sprout — the new Premier Inn on Morrison’s Island, the redevelopment of the Roches Stores building — so it’s crucial we build on those.
“It’s not all doom and gloom as some commentators seem to be happy to say.”
Meanwhile, Green Party councillor Dan Boyle has welcomed confirmation that Cumnor has been contracted to repair the gaping hole in the quay wall alongside South Gate Bridge, with work due to start on April 4.