Transport Infrastructure Ireland to seek approval for Limerick-Cork motorway in 2024 – The Irish Times

Transport Infrastructure Eire (TII) hopes to hunt Authorities approval subsequent yr to use for planning permission for the long-awaited €1.4 billion improve of the N20 to a full motorway linking Cork and Limerick.

The improve of the Cork-Limerick N20, which was first recognized within the 1998 Nationwide Roads Wants Research, will contain the development of greater than 80km of motorway between Blarney on the outskirts of Cork metropolis and Attyflin exterior Limerick the place it can hyperlink into the N21 Limerick -Tralee street.

At this time, Jari Howard, N/M20 Challenge Co-ordinator with Limerick Metropolis and County Council, which is the lead authority on the challenge for TII, briefed public representatives from Limerick and Cork on the small print of the challenge, which can minimize journey occasions between Attyflin and Blarney by quarter-hour.

Mr Howard mentioned that the chosen 500m hall for the motorway, which works east of Mallow and Buttevant however west of Charleville in North Cork, has been lowered to 200 metres with the centre line of the proposed route usually close to the centre of this hall.

[ Proposed motorway lay-by ban for most drivers defended by Transport Infrastructure Ireland ]

[ Most dangerous rural roads may see expanded use of average-speed cameras ]

Nonetheless, he burdened that the 200m hall doesn’t characterize the precise width required to assemble the challenge nor the lands to be acquired however slightly signifies the lands inside which the challenge will likely be developed and this will likely be lowered additional subsequent yr when fencing takes place.

There will likely be junctions on the motorway at Blarney, Rathduff/Grenagh, Mourneabbey, Mallow, Buttevant and Charleville in Co Cork and Bruree and Croom in Co Limerick earlier than connecting with the nationwide main street community at Attyflin close to Patrickswell exterior Limerick metropolis.

The challenge, which can type a part of the Atlantic Hall linking Galway to Cork, will even embody an Lively Journey dimension with a path connecting Blarney, Rathduff, Mallow, New Twopothouse, Buttevant, Ballyhea, Charleville, Bruree, Banogue, Croom and Patrickswell.

Among the many choices being examined for the Lively Journey path, which can usually be three to 4 metres vast, is one the place it’s situated on the fringe of the brand new M20 transport hall however separated from it by earthworks, fencing and landscaping.

A second possibility for the Lively Journey path is to reallocate street area on wider sections of the prevailing N20 carriageway as soon as it’s declassified the place site visitors ranges will likely be considerably lowered, pace limits lowered, and onerous shoulders will now not be required.

A 3rd possibility entails finding the Lively Journey path alongside present regional and native routes that are usually narrower than the prevailing N20 with sections of dense vegetation and residential boundaries near the street edge.

The challenge additionally entails the development of quite a lot of Transport Hubs which permits for interchange between several types of transport and within the case of the M20 would enable individuals to vary between non-public automobiles, public transport reminiscent of rail and bus and lively journey reminiscent of biking.

Mr Howard mentioned though Transport Hubs are historically located in city areas, there is a chance to develop them in rural areas alongside the M20 which might assist open up alternatives for native individuals to avail of bus companies, park and share and new biking and strolling networks.

The challenge additionally permits for the supply of a Freight Hub to supply HGV parking, welfare, and en route EV charging services whereas it additionally seeks to develop additional alternatives to reinforce public transport and encourage switch to bus and rail.

“The N/M20 Cork to Limerick Challenge is predicated upon a “first of its sort”, multimodal view to enhancing connectivity, security, and financial hyperlinks between the cities of Cork and Limerick, and finally Galway,” mentioned Mr Howard.

Public representatives have lengthy been campaigning for an improve of the N20 and demand for an improve elevated in 2021 after TII printed the outcomes of an evaluation which concluded street site visitors collisions on the street had been 4 occasions extra prone to be deadly than on the common street within the nation.

The TII evaluation discovered that the place nationally deadly street site visitors collisions account for two per cent of all collisions during which private accidents are recorded, the fatality charge for equal collisions on the N20 during which private accidents are recorded was 8 per cent.

The TII evaluation discovered that of the 87 collisions recorded on the N20 between 2016 and 2018, some seven of those concerned the dying of a street person and an extra 13 collisions led to critical accidents, whereas the remaining 67 resulted in minor accidents to street customers.

On the time, Mr Howard mentioned that the TII evaluation discovered seven of 87 collisions on the N20 between 2016 and 2018 had been deadly whereas the research additionally famous the excessive variety of entry factors on the N20 street, comprising 216 entrances to fields, 295 to homes and 114 to public roads.

“There are a complete of 625 entry factors on to the N20, or seven per kilometre, which is sort of excessive in comparison with different nationwide roads, so you have got numerous site visitors exiting off and getting into on to the street and that may be problematic, significantly for anybody turning proper and crossing a lane of site visitors.

“It’s additionally a basic instance of a legacy street with totally different cross sections. There are sections of motorway, twin carriageway with onerous shoulder, single carriageway by cities and villages. So it’s altering loads, which is a specific problem for anybody driving it the primary time.

“You even have a scenario the place 42 per cent of the street has no onerous shoulder so there’s nowhere to go if you have to attempt to take evasive motion. And there are actually nasty spots on it just like the Ballybeg bends exterior Buttevant, which have been the scene of a number of fatalities.

“There’s a excessive quantity of site visitors with many doing excessive speeds, however then numerous slow-moving autos like tractors and agricultural equipment in addition to numerous HGVs, which individuals attempt to overtake so there are a number of elements making it harmful.”