Midleton to wait at least another four years for start on final phase of northern bypass

It is envisaged construction on the upgrade of the Tullegrene interchange will start next summer

Cork County Council has again asked for priority approval for funding from Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to upgrade the Midleton to Carrigtwohill (N25) road, but the local authority still doesn’t know if the money will be forthcoming. File picture: Denis Minihane

Construction of the final phase of the Midleton northern bypass is unlikely to get underway until at least 2027.

Cork County Council has again asked for priority approval for funding from Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to upgrade the Midleton to Carrigtwohill (N25) road, but the local authority still doesn’t know if the money will be forthcoming.

While there's uncertainty surrounding the projects, council engineers have confirmed that an upgrade of the Tullegrene (Cobh Cross) N25 interchange will take place next year.

The local authority has sought priority funding to upgrade the N25 section between Midleton and Carrigtwohill, which TII has previously approved, but which was later denied by Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan, much to the anger of councillors representing the East Cork region.

Niall Healy, the council’s director of roads, said they’ve again applied for funding for that upgrade, but if they don’t get it, engineers are working on a plan for more minor safety works on it. Mr Healy admitted he had "no idea” if they’ll get funding for the major upgrade.

Councillors then asked if funding was in place to carry out the Tullegrene project and were informed that the detailed design of the interchange upgrade was being finalised and that funding had been approved. 

Some local development contributions will also be used to fund the work. It is envisaged construction will start there next summer.

In response to a query from Fine Gael councillor Michael Hegarty, Mr Healy said the route corridor for the remainder of the northern relief road in Midleton has been finalised and that preliminary designs for the road are being prepared.

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He said he is “conscious” that the road route and design may be impacted by the flood defence scheme planned for the town and said it is likely to be 2027 at the earliest before work starts on the bypass.

Mr Hegarty also asked where a major upgrade of the Midleton to Youghal road currently stands. He said it would make more sense and would be cheaper in the long run if it wasn’t upgraded in its entirety, in one go, and instead, bypasses are built in the interim in Castlemartyr and Killeagh.

Mr Healy wasn't confident about money being found any time soon for a whole upgrade of the N25 between Midleton and Youghal, adding that “the minister (Ryan) seems reluctant to fund projects of that scale”. 

Mr Hegarty said there was now a fear that the overall upgrade won’t be done in the foreseeable future.

Carrigtwohill school

Meanwhile, Fine Gael councillor Anthony Barry expressed concern for the safety of children attending the biggest school campus in the country in Carrigtwohill.

He said there is currently no safe pedestrian/cycling connectivity between the campus and the railway station which is “only a few hundred metres away”.  Mr Barry said, as a result, parents are having to drop off and pick up children by car, many of whom could get the train if this safe connectivity was in place.

He said the lack of it is causing unnecessary gridlock at peak school times.

He was informed that a route has been identified by council engineers, which will include an underpass of the railway. However, as it also requires land acquisition, engineers said they are not yet in a position to provide a start date for the project.