Promenade plan for Dublin Bay

DUBLIN is to get one of Europe’s longest seafront promenades under a plan to develop a walkway around almost the entire length of Dublin Bay.

The S2S project, as it is known, will provide a continuous promenade and cycleway along a 22-kilometre route around Dublin Bay between Sutton and Sandycove.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern joined Environment Minister Dick Roche at the seafront in Clontarf yesterday to announce details of the ambitious project.

Although long parts of the coastal route on both sides of the River Liffey already have paths and cycleways, the new project will upgrade and join up the existing sections.

There is no completion date or specific budget for the S2S project, which Mr Roche admitted could cost “tens of millions.”

He also pointed out that the project would be more complicated than it would initially appear as there were two major gaps with no existing promenade facility — the causeway to Bull Island and the section between Sandymount Strand and Dun Laoghaire pier.

Around 7.5km of new walkway will have to be constructed to provide a continuous promenade.

Mr Ahern said Dublin Bay was a marvellous amenity that would be the envy of any capital city. Mr Ahern said he had been immediately impressed by both the simplicity of the concept and the many benefits it could deliver for Dublin.

“If achieved, this would constitute one of the longest, if not the longest, urban seafront promenades in Europe, virtually level for its entire length,” he said.