Design work gets go-ahead to start on N25 relief road

The design work and public consultation could take several years before planning approval is sought

The N25 is significantly over capacity with more than 19,000 vehicles per day travelling through Castlemartyr on busy days — almost double the daily traffic on the Waterford-Dublin motorway. File picture: Neil Michael

The green light has been given for the appointment of consultants to design a large relief road on the main Cork to Waterford road that was at the centre of a major political stand-off just over two years ago.

Fianna Fáil TD for Cork East, James O’Connor, the party’s spokesperson on transport who threatened to quit in 2021 over funding for the N25 Midleton to Youghal project, described the announcement as a major milestone.