Fresh bid to get ‘vital’ pharma hub link upgraded
Cork Chamber confirmed it has asked consultants to update a 2010 report which highlighted the massive economic benefits to the south-west region in the event of the Cork-Ringaskiddy road being upgraded to dual carriageway status to serve the Port of Cork’s proposed new terminal.
Ringaskiddy, an international pharmaceutical cluster, is currently linked to Cork City by a sub-standard narrow single-carriageway.
The 2010 report, commissioned by Cork Chamber and prepared by Indecon International Economic Consultants, warned the south-west could lose more than €59bn in trade in the next 25 years if the Government failed to upgrade the road.
It described the upgrade, costed at the time in the region of €163m, as “a key catalyst project that deserves priority status”.
But, as the Government’s finances collapsed, the N28 upgrade was among several major infrastructural projects shelved.
However, following two significant announcements in the Ringaskiddy area last week — the establishment by UCC of the €15m Beaufort energy research lab and the €23m investment in Pfizer’s plant nearby — Cork Chamber has raised the N28 upgrade with Taoiseach Enda Kenny directly.
Chamber president Gillian Keating briefed him on the project after he turned the sod on the Beaufort lab last Thursday.
She urged him to prioritise the scheme to ensure the region can capitalise on this kind of investment.
“The key to making the most of these opportunities is building on the infrastructure in Ringaskiddy,” she said.
“The key to getting full value from these types of investments, and for other types of industries and investment we want to attract, is to get the access right.
“And we’re very anxious that the N28 would be prioritised in terms of the infrastructural projects.
“He [Mr Kenny] heard and appreciated the message that we were making and we hope to engage with him soon on the issue.”
The N28 upgrade is among several the Cork Chamber is pursuing — including the upgrade of the Dunkettle roundabout.
Industry experts say not only would an upgrade of the N28 play a vital role in the external and internal connectivity of the south-west region, it would also represent the removal of a significant constraint to the international competitiveness of the region.
Failure to proceed with the upgrade would have severe competitive and economic implications for the region from the probable damage to external connectivity through the Port of Cork, they have warned.
The upgrade would also relieve commuter congestion, provide transportation capacity required to meet expected growth in freight traffic and secure the role of the N28 as a strategic national primary route.
The IDA has several hundred acres of prime development land in the area.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
