New app to give motorists traffic info around Jack Lynch Tunnell

The Dunkettle Live App will make it easier for motorists to plan their journeys in the area, especially when construction of the Dunkettle/Jack Lynch Tunnel upgrade gets underway.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) is to launch a new app for motorists on Monday which will give them real time information on traffic movements in and around the Jack Lynch Tunnel.

The Dunkettle Live App which is available at here will be launched by TII to make it easier for motorists to plan their journeys in the area, especially when construction of the Dunkettle/Jack Lynch Tunnel upgrade gets underway.

The upgrade was delayed after the government ordered TII to seek further tenders for the project amid fears it was going to cost significantly more than originally anticipated.

TII spokesman Sean O'Neill said tenders were due back next spring and it's hoped to start construction in September 2020.

The project will involve removing the signalised roundabout at the northern side of the tunnel so traffic can pass straight through it in both directions without delay.

To facilitate the removal of the roundabout a number of slip roads will be built.

"We envisage that once construction gets underway it will take about three years to complete," Mr O'Neill said.

He said that in the meantime a lot of preparatory work had taken place in the area to facilitate speedier construction.

Meanwhile, Cork County Council has signed contracts with two Irish firms, Jon Civil Engineering Ltd and John Cradock Ltd, for the construction of the long-awaited Macroom bypass.

Funding for the €280m project was approved by the government last month and its expected construction will take three to four years to complete.

The 22km of new will run from the Cork side of Macroom at Coolcower and bypass Macroom and the villages of Ballymackeera and Ballyvourney before linking up with the existing road at the County Bounds with Kerry.

The development is expected to bring a significant economic boost to the area during the construction phase and in the longer term reduce journey time in the region, improve access to rural areas and greatly enhance quality of life for people living in and around Macroom.

TII chief executive Michael Nolan said the contract signing highlights the importance of delivering on needed national road infrastructure improvements for both the Cork and Kerry regions.