Planned works in Mallow spark congestion fears

By Sean O’Riordan

Cork County Council’s most senior official in charge of roads has acknowledged that planned works on a new boardwalk in Mallow could cause huge traffic congestion in the town.

Aidan Weir, the local authority’s director of roads, has been urged to schedule as much of the work as possible at night because it will have a serious impact on the busiest junction in the town close to the traffic ‘pinch-points’ of Spa Glen and Park Rd.

It is anticipated that work of the €1.4m pedestrian boardwalk will take place on the western side of Mallow Bridge early next year.

The project will also include the creation of a third traffic lane in the area, the demolition of the public toilet block and the relocation of a memorial to the northern side of the bridge.

While the creation of the third lane will help ease gridlock in the area, councillors have warned it will come at a huge price to motorists if all the work is undertaken during the day.

At a meeting of the county council’s Northern Division in Mallow, Sinn Féin councillor Melissa Mullane appealed to Mr Weir to have as much of the work as possible carried out at night.

Mr Weir said the design work was still at an early stage, but admitted that it currently looked that the project would necessitate single line traffic being introduced in the area.

“We will look at whatever we can to minimise traffic,” Mr Weir replied.

Fianna Fáil councillor Gearoid Murphy also urged that the work be done at night, although he readily welcomed the news that an extra traffic lane will be provided when it is finished, “which will ease tailbacks”.

Mr Weir told the same councillor that the county council was hopeful construction of a northern relief road for the town might start within the next three years.

Traffic traversing Mallow from east to west is being held up in the town centre and the council says it is vital that the relief road is built to ease congestion.

Meanwhile, Mr Weir was also urged to consider nighttime and weekend work as part of plans to upgrade the N72 (Fermoy-Mallow road) at Ballygriffin, close to the village of Killavullen.

Noel McCarthy of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil’s Frank O’Flynn said the last time there were road improvement works in that area it had a major effect on businesses in the nearby villages of Ballyhooly and Castletownroche.

Mr Weir said it might be difficult to carry out the upgrade at night, but said he would look into councillors’ requests.