'Disbelief' as funding withdrawn for major road upgrade in Cork

Decision on the N25 flies in the face of proper sustainable planning, says senior county council official

The decision to axe funding for the upgrade of the N25 (Cork-Waterford road) between Carrigtwohill and Midleton was criticised by council officials and councillors. Picture: Denis Minihane

A senior county council official said “it beggars belief” that Government funding was withdrawn for a major road upgrade in Co Cork, as it flies in the face of national development plans and is holding up multi-million euro development of thousands of houses, plus commercial and industrial expansion.

County council assistant chief executive Valerie O’Sullivan criticised the decision to axe funding for the upgrade of the N25 (Cork-Waterford road) between Carrigtwohill and Midleton. Taking almost 40,000 vehicles a day, it is the fourth busiest road in the country.  

Ms O’Sullivan said the decision flies in the face of proper sustainable planning as the council is "in touching distance" of developing a new 2,500-house small town at Water Rock, to the west of Midleton.

In addition, hundreds of houses are in the pipeline in Carrigtwohill and there the IDA wants to expand its industrial estates. All of this is dependent on the N25 upgrade.

Midleton-based Fine Gael councillor Susan McCarthy said the upgrade is “vital and strategically important” not just for Midleton and Carrigtwohill, but for the whole of East Cork, metropolitan Cork, and the southern region.

“Slashing roads budgets for vital road upgrades is negligent at the least and downright dangerous at best," said Ms McCarthy.

"It’s only a matter of time before there’s another fatality along this stretch if this decision isn't reversed.

“It's merely an upgrade to an existing road to make them safe. The N25 has not been upgraded since it was built more than four decades ago. Traffic on this stretch is well over capacity," she added.

Fine Gael councillor Anthony Barry said he is “appalled” by the decision to defer the project when so much depends on it.

It is understood Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and council engineers were taken aback and frustrated when Government funding was withdrawn for the upgrade.

Mr Barry said the road was opened in 1968 and remembers as a primary school child being able to kick a football on it as there was so little traffic on it then.

“There's been very little by the way of improvements on the road since. In the meantime, the population growth has skyrocketed along with enormous increase in industrial and business activity,” said Mr Barry.

Any road with such vehicle movements wouldn't have direct residential, commercial, and agricultural access allowed for safety reasons, but it is happening here.” 

He said "the best recognised industrial site in the country" is at Ballyadam (former Amgen site).

“The recently published County Development Plan proposes building 4,000 between Carrigtwohill and Water Rock. However, the upgrade of the N25 is essential to their construction and you would have to question the viability of this without the road upgrade. Over €2m of public funds has been spent on designs (for housing projects) over the last 10 years. Now there's nothing to show for it,” Mr Barry added.

Director of Services, Roads and Transportation, Pádraig Barrett, responded: “Cork County Council is awaiting details of the 2023 grant allocation for national road schemes in Co Cork, including the 2023 funding position for the N25 Carrigtohill to Midleton scheme.

"In the event that the N25 Carrigtohill to Midleton scheme receives no funding allocation for 2023, Cork County Council will progress a review of the implications of same, taking into consideration road safety and future development in the area.”