Dunkettle interchange: New Little Island access routes and cycleway to open on Monday

Engineers working on the huge scheme have now advised road users to familiarise themselves with the new layout ahead of the opening

Motorists traveling between Little Island and Bury's Bridge will be able to use this route from Monday, October 24. 

Two key new links in the multi-million Dunkettle interchange upgrade project in Cork are set to open on Monday, marking a major milestone in the massive road scheme.

The new links will provide road users travelling eastbound on the N8 with a new access route to Little Island — a busy employment and retail area. 

The Dunkettle interchange is one of Ireland's busiest junctions, used by up to 100,000 vehicles a day.

It will also see the opening to the public of a combined pedestrian and cycleway facility that has been built into this element of the overall scheme.

This will provide, for the first time, safe access for cyclists and pedestrians to Little Island from the Tivoli roundabout on the western side of the sprawling construction site.

Engineers working on the huge scheme have now advised road users, especially the thousands of people who work in or visit the Little Island area daily, to familiarise themselves with the new layout ahead of the link openings on Monday, and to plan their journeys taking the new route options into account.

The new access to Little Island from the N8 eastbound will be accessed via a new one-way route that diverges left from the N8 eastbound and continues to the roundabout at Burys Bridge, crossing under the new railway bridges which carry northbound and southbound traffic on the M8 motorway over the Cork to Midleton commuter rail line.

The new Link H facing northeast. The new links will provide road users travelling eastbound on the N8 with a new access route to Little Island - a busy employment and retail area.

Motorists will then turn right at the Burys Bridge roundabout and cross over the N25 using a recently constructed road bridge, known as ‘structure 01’, which has roundabouts at either side.

Traffic will then continue via a section of road known as ‘link Q’ which will take traffic to the roundabout constructed on the R623 as part of the Dunkettle scheme. The route will also allow access from the R623 in Little Island in a northbound direction for motorists who wish to head towards Burys Bridge.

Following the opening of the new link roads, the 'Ibis' slip road which provides access to the M8 southbound from the L2998 local road alongside the gaelscoil, will be closed. Traffic will be diverted via the new link roads in order to access the M8, the N8 and the N40.

Motorists will turn right at the Burys Bridge roundabout and cross over the N25 using a recently constructed road bridge, known as ‘structure 01’, which has roundabouts at either side.

Engineers said this closure is required in order to allow the remaining works to be completed at the interface between the M8 southbound and the new diverge free flow ‘link E’ road which will take traffic towards the N25 eastbound. It is expected that the M8 southbound will revert to two lanes in November.

The Dunkettle interchange is one of Ireland's busiest junctions, used by up to 100,000 vehicles a day. It experiences chronic congestion at peak hours.

The massive upgrade is designed to create a largely free-flow interchange to allow north-south traffic on the M8 and east-west traffic on the N25 flow freely.

The massive upgrade, which includes the removal of traffic lights from the Dunkettle roundabout on the north side of the Jack Lynch Tunnel and the construction of several new roads, is designed to create a largely free-flow interchange to allow north-south traffic on the M8 and east-west traffic on the N25 flow freely.

It is hoped the upgrade will cater for forecasted traffic growth up to 2050. The scheme is on target for completion within 18 months.