Protestors to bring Macroom bypass traffic to standstill over lack of slip-road access to N22

Locals to protest on Saturday at 'huge injustice' at loss of access to the N22 at Carrigaphooka

The new 8km section of the bypass will open on August 11.

A vehicle protest will impact traffic on the Macroom bypass this Saturday as anger brews over lack of slip-road access to the new N22, described as a “huge injustice” for Mid-Cork.

From 9am, a cavalcade of trucks, tractors, and other vehicles is expected to travel slowly along the bypass from Carrigaphooka to Coolcower and through Macroom to highlight the loss of access to the N22 at Carrigaphooka.

A new 8km section of dual carriageway between Carrigaphooka, west of Macroom, and Tún Lán, east of Baile Mhic Íre, opens on August 11, bypassing notorious “bad bends” near Lissacreasig.

This is the second phase of the bypass, the initial section near Macroom being opened by then-taoiseach Micheál Martin days before leaving office last December.

To facilitate the opening of this section, the bypass will close to westbound traffic from August 8 to 11, removing a temporary roundabout at Carrigaphooka, where the bypass currently meets the old road.

The roundabout’s imminent removal sparked a petition for slip-road access at Carrigaphooka, amid fears businesses would lose passing trade and heavy goods traffic would return to Macroom. 

A report released last month by Cork County Council showed nitrogen dioxide down 53.8% in Macroom since the bypass opened and there are fears this air quality improvement will be lost. 

“We’re certainly going to get about 15% of the trucks back into the town. It will have a knock-on effect,” councillor Ted Lucey told the Irish Examiner.

The ‘Access to Macroom Bypass’ petition initiated by Cill na Martra businessman Lars Edman attracted significant support locally and online at Change.org. 

Mr Edman, MD of Prince August toy soldier factory, said when the Carrigaphooka roundabout closes, there will be 11.5km between junctions and traffic from points between Macroom and Baile Mhúirne will revert to driving through Macroom to Cork, as will large trucks which have difficulty negotiating a tight turn at the town’s Millstreet cross to reach the next bypass access.

“The original plans included slip road access at Carrigaphooka and land has already been acquired,” he said. “People have not realised how functional this access is. It serves a big part of West Cork.”

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‘Carrigaphooca Junction’ was marked on plans distributed as recently as 2019 by Mr Lucey, shortly before construction began.

When the roundabout is removed on Tuesday, “it will be very hard for us to stay open,” said Jo Watkinson, who runs a fish and chip business on the N22 at Lissacreasig, reliant on passing trade for two thirds of business.

"It’s not just affecting us, the fact that we can’t access the road. It is going to affect Macroom. Come September [when schools reopen] the tailbacks will be heading back out of town again.

It’s taking traffic back into town — the lorries can’t access the Millstreet road junction because it’s not suitable for them, so the emissions the politicians were patting themselves on the back for reducing are going to be back up.

“It’s a huge injustice to the area and further afield,” she said. “The local representatives have let us down big time.” 

TDs Aindrias Moynihan and Michael Creed have raised the issue in the Dáil, while Macroom Municipal District Council is writing to Transport Infrastructure Ireland seeking access retention.

This week, Mr Creed said creating permanent access would be “a complex process but not insurmountable”.