Cabinet signs off on Dunkettle upgrade after more than a year of delays
An aerial image of the Dunkettle Interchange, before the works commenced. Picture: Tom Coakley
The Cabinet has awarded the contract for the multi-million upgrade of the Dunkettle interchange in Cork to contractors Sisk.
The decision follows a more than a year-long delay on the awarding of the main construction contract after Sisk and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) failed to agree a price on this element of the scheme.
It is understood that the state has saved up to €40m on the construction element after the project went back out to the market for tender.
Sisk, which won the first stage of the contract in 2018, is understood to have been bidding for the scheme against BAM.
Minister of state at the department of transport, Hildegarde Naughton, said the project is vital to deliver an integrated transport strategy for Cork city and the wider region.
“We hope to announce the opening soon of the new pedestrian and cycleway crossing, which was constructed as part of this project, connecting the Dunkettle interchange to the train station at Little Island. Integrating and delivering public transport elements, as part of road improvement projects, is a key component toward offering the public an alternative to the car,” she said.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said of the upgrade: "It's a very significant project, an important one in terms of the modern infrastructure around Cork in terms of facilitating traffic but also releasing the potential for significant housebuilding as well so we can get more homes for people in communities and for couples who are looking for them."
TII CEO Peter Walsh said while the bidding process was challenging, it will deliver a better outcome for the taxpayer due to what he said was the design and construction job being tendered by two of Ireland’s top civil engineering construction companies.
The critical junction on the eastern outskirts of Cork city, at the intersection of the M8/N8 Dublin to Cork road, the N25 Cork to Waterford road and the N40 Southern Ring Road through the Jack Lynch Tunnel, handles some 100,000 vehicles a day.
It's hoped the upgrade to create a freeflow interchange will be completed in the first quarter of 2024. It will include the construction of:
- A series of direct road links between the N8, the N25 and the N40 and links to the R623 in Little Island and Burys Bridge in Dunkettle;
- One grade-separated junction arrangement at the existing N25 to the east of the existing Dunkettle Interchange;
- Four roundabouts – two at the grade-separated junction and two at tie-ins with the existing road network;
- Several culverts where the scheme crosses watercourses or intertidal areas;
- Pedestrian and cyclist facilities.
Some of the new cycling and pedestrian facilities, which will help link city cycle routes to routes proposed in Glounthaune and Little Island, are due to open soon.
Cork North West Fine Gael TD Colm Burke said the upgrade will make a huge difference to commuters and businesses in the region.
“This project is crucial for the development of Cork city and county. The awarding of this contract is a sign of progress and will assist with the creation of jobs,” he said.
Sisk won the two-stage contract for the upgrade in 2018 but the project was delayed last August when it emerged that TII and Sisk had failed to reach agreement on forecasted costs for the main construction element.
While that re-tendering process was triggered last August, Sisk continued on the advance works including the diversion of gas, electric, telecoms and water infrastructure, the construction of a new link road to connect the N8 with the M8 Cork to Dublin motorway, to include a separated cycleway and pedestrian path.
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